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EXCERPTS FROM THE 



CRATER OF GOLD 



A Mysterious Manuscript 



BY 

J. CALVIN MITCHELL 



PUBLISHED BY THE 

CRATER OF GOLD PUBLISHING CO. 

4016 N. PAULINA ST. 
CHICAGO, ILL. 






Copyright 1918 

BY 

THE CRATER OF GOLD PUB. CO. 



PRINTED AND BOUND BT 
W. B. CONKEY COMPANY 
HAMMOND • INDIANA 



OCT i4 idid 

©CI.A506300 



Illustrated By 
M. H. NATWICK 



O^o . 



I 



PREFACE 

The author of the extravaganza, The Crater 
OF Gold, pictures nature as the teacher of truth, 
gives personal experiences in the struggle of life, 
advances scientific propositions and prophesies, 
theorizes on the science of government, and closes 
by holding out the Absolute Faith to all and a 
plea for the universal brotherhood of man. There 
is no intention to mislead or tear down, but to 
build, and establish the truth in its simplicity. 

The Author. 



Much of The Crater of Gold is drawn from 
actual events in life. 

Many of the characters have not been allowed 
to talk as strong as did their prototypes and 
some have been choked out. Archy Umbrage 
was taken by the throat and choked till he was 
blue in the face, but he just would spit out what 
he had to say. 

The Old Man of the Crater said much more 
than appears in this volume. 

If any of the characters insult you, talk to 
them kindly and they will forgive you — for so 
they have been instructed. 

The Crater of Gold, unhampered by parties, 
precedents or dogmas, is a warm range that turns 
out flapjacks of Truth hot from the griddle 
aimed at the inconsistencies of mankind. 

The Publisher. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Page 
Pitiful Man _ _ . . 6 

An Air-Castle - - 7 

War Is Murder ----------- 46 

Freedom of the Seas --------- 47 

Our Flag's Unfurled --------- 48 

Uncle Sam Must Fight - -------- 49 

Jingo Land — a Dream Verbatim ----- 51 

The Law ------------- 56 

K. Zackley's Statement -------- 57 

The Prospector's Letter ----«--- 58 

Mountain Life Song --------- 65 

The Struggle --_.-. 67 

Something New ----------- 142 

Old Custom ------------ 143 

The Future Government -------- 144 

No Chance for the Old - -------- 191 

The Homesteader's Hope -------- 192 

The Cabin Dwellers --------- 193 

Found the Way ----------- 221 

The Absolute Faith ---------- 223 

Keep the Law ------------ 246 



PITIFUL MAN 

Did you ever in your life 

Realize how weak is man. 
Sadly pitiful in the strife 

Of life's short span? 

Most any day my time may come 

To give up life and work no more ; 
The mind at rest, it will be dumb. 

All toil and fret will then be o'er. 
All worry o'er financial loss, 

Or falseness of pretending frien' 
No more will vex or make me cross. 

No more I'll suffer pain again. 

No more I'll have to work so hard 

To get a bite to eat each day. 
No more I'll have to vice discard 

Or watch the tricksters in their play. 
Then I'll be free from cheating deals 

To take the coin away from me. 
No more I'll know just how one feels 

When cheated out of property. 

Then back to God the soul returns. 

We know not how or why it may. 
But as the human heart so yearns. 

We hope, believe and pray that way. 
And back to earth from whence it came 

The body goes — to end the story, 
It mingles with the elements 

In Nature's restless lab'ratory. 

Did you ever in your life 

Realize how weak is man. 
Sadly pitiful in the strife 

Of life's short span? 



AN AIR CASTLE 



Introduction to "The Crater of Gold" 

"What is the matter, Mr. Zackley? You have 
ceased dictating for five minutes and have been 
staring at the ceihng." 

"I was just thinking," said Mr. Z. to his steno. 

"I hope you are not ill. I must say I fear you 
are in some difficulty and make free to offer my 
assistance if there is anything that I can do for 

you." 

To explain, this conversation took place in the 
real estate and loan office of K. Zackley & Co. 
at Glenden, California, 1917. 

Though the office sign was K. Zackley & Co., 
and all business papers were signed K. Zackley 
& Co., no one had ever known how or why the 
"Co." was used, as K. Zackley was to all appear- 
ances the proprietor and sole owner of the busi- 
ness. 

Miss Ainie Bonner had been the stenographer 
in this office for one year. 

Though her stipulated wages were only $15 
per week, Mr. Z., without explaining, had paid 
her $30 per week. Her father, Robert Bonner, 
came from Scotland some forty years back when 
a young man. He was successful in amassing 
a considerable fortune, but not until past forty 



8 CRATER OF GOLD 

did he think of marriage. A charming widow, 
Mrs. Richmond, a rehct of an army officer, struck 
his fancy and he built for her the palatial resi- 
dence which is the home of Mrs. Bonner and her 
daughter. 

When Ainie was a baby the question of a name 
for her became an all important problem to the 
Bonners. The baby must have a name. As usual 
Mr. Bonner, when deeply moved, fell back on 
the Scotch dialect. 

"She's oor ain ainie wee tot — ain ainie. Mither, 
we name her Ainie." 

"No one was ever named 'Ainie/ said Mrs. 
Bonner. 

"That's just it, she is something new in this 
world and deserves a new name. Why handicap 
her with Mary, Jeanie, Anne or any such name 
that is the name of thousands. Let her name be 
Ainie, oor ain Ainie." said Mr. Bonner and so 
she was named Ainie Bonner. 

Before the big war commenced, Mr. Bonner 
had a few thousand in loose change and a desire 
to make a haul before he died, caused him to 
attend a town lot sale in a new town in Canada. 
The town he selected had such a promise for the 
future that he had no doubt but what such an 
investment would win. He bought so many lots 
one-fourth down, the balance to be paid in three 
equal annual installments, that it became neces- 
sary for him to mortgage his home and all his 
property to secure money for subsequent pay- 
ments. 



CRATER OF GOLD 9 

The price of his lots in the new town at first 
advanced rapidly, which was very encouraging 
to Mr. Bonner to spare no exertion of his neces- 
sary to hold on to his lots until a great fortune 
was realized. The new town incurred much 
bonded indebtedness to build water works, sewers 
and street improvements, a financial flurry and 
the big war all combined to cause a slump in 
prices, and so many speculators who had taken 
on more than they could carry were compelled to 
throw their lots onto a falling market, that there 
was a total stagnation in the sale of their lots. 

Mr. Bonner was unable to get the money for 
the last payments and his lots were taken from 
him. Now discouraged and heavily in debt, Mr. 
Bonner suffered as only those suffer who see ruin 
staring them in the face, and to add to the mis- 
fortune of this family, he took sick and died, 
pneumonia the doctors said, but the general 
verdict was that he died of a broken heart. 

Mrs. Bonner was helpless with grief and unable 
to have any idea how they were ever to be able 
to live or save anything from the wreck. She 
worried more on account of Ainie's future than 
she regarded her own welfare. 

Ainie investigated their affairs and found suffi- 
cient property to bring a yearly rental of $2,000, 
which was plastered with mortgages amounting 
to $25,000. This called for a yearly interest of 
$1,500. She had learned stenography and type- 
writing and resolved to get a job of work and 
possibly make a living and slowly pay off these 



10 CRATER OF GOLD 

mortgages. That is why we now find her at work 
in the office of K. Zackley & Co. at the time of 
the conversation noted at the beginning of this 
story. 

K. Zackley was a quiet, strictly business man, 
rather fair complexion, jet black hair, dark gray- 
ish piercing eyes. He had an appearance of 
sagacity and business judgment superior to most 
men. He was of athletic build, over six feet in 
height and tipped the scales at nearly 200 pounds. 

He might have been a favorite among the 
ladies, but he had disregarded society and at- 
tended to business, always business, living a 
bachelor life, rooming and boarding at the Glen- 
den Hotel. He was nearly 35 and not egotistic 
enough to push himself into the notice of the 
ladies. The ladies had never appealed to him. 
They were too uncertain, too frivolous, too past 
understanding. He feared that intimacy with the 
fair sex might lead to complications, so he stuck 
strictly to his business. 

But this young lady stenographer had shown 
him that there are women who are not frivolous, 
designing creatures, but that are as true as steel, 
kind hearted and ever desiring to do just what 
is right. 

Ainie's gentle, honest eyes penetrated to his 
heart. Her kind treatment of old and young, 
rich and poor, with no pretentions of superiority, 
but just is if she were only one among many of 
suffering humanity, had convinced Mr. Z. that 
a good woman is a blessing to the world. He 



CRATER OF GOLD 11 

admitted to himself that he loved Ainie — no 
doubt of it — but he thought, "I am thirty-five, 
she is only tv/ent}^ She is beautiful, pure as the 
white snow. I cannot win her so I will never let 
her know, but an unseen hand will always be 
ready to assist if she is ever in need." 

He was extremely reticent in regard to his 
business affairs, or his many acts of generosity. 
He never told any one about how much money he 
was worth or bragged about wonderful things 
which he had done. He was a heavy contributor 
to all charity funds. Many poor people had their 
rent paid by some hidden hand and no one knew 
whence the money came. Some of Ainie's renters 
had notified her that they could not pay, and must 
move, but no one had ever been compelled to 
move, the rent was always paid. 

Ainie had become convinced that the hidden 
hand was no other than that of her employer. 
All this worked on her imagination. She had 
been treated so kindly and liberally by her em- 
ployer that ere she was aware she confessed to 
herself, "I love Mr. Zackley, but I have no chance 
to win his love. He is above me and only treats 
me kindly as he is treating all poor people here 
in Glenden." She thought "I must not let him 
know that I love him and continue to make good 
in my work. He is a wonderful man. Time will 
tell." 

So these two, man and woman, who loved each 
other with a love that was more than love, for it 
was reverence for each other, sat in the same 



12 CRATER OF GOLD 

office one year after Ainie had been forced to 
condescend to the onerous duties of a common 
stenographer in a real estate office. 

"Oh, no, I am in no trouble," said Mr. Z., 
"except I — have made — a great discovery." 

"Have you discovered something that will de- 
stroy the German submarines ?" 

"No and yes. It may be the means, in time, 
that will put an end to all warfare if what I have 
discovered is true." 

"It must be true if you have discovered it. Is 
it a secret or can you trust me?" 

"That was just what I have been thinking 
about. What I have in mind I fear to tell any 
one. If what I have discovered is true, I will 
need much help. I know of no one I am more 
willing to trust than you, Ainie." 

This confession caused Ainie's eyes to sparkle 
with a new-found joy — a fleeting impression that 
she, only his steno, might be the winner of this 
man's love. 

"It is a long story, Ainie, I hardly know how 
to tell it, and it may be of no interest to you. 
What I do tell is in confidence that you will keep 
it as a profound secret." 

Ainie's curiosity was getting the better of her, 
but she held down her impatience and settled back 
in her chair and assumed an air of strict attention. 

Mr. Z. said: "To begin with, four years ago 
an old prospector came to the Glenden Hotel. 
He was ailing and soon became bedfast. I visited 
him in his room and saw to it that he was well 




I — have made — a great discovery. — Page 12 



CRATER OF GOLD 13 

supplied with nurses, doctors and delicacies. He 
was non-communicative but very considerate and 
thankful for the attentions that were given him. 

"One day he sent for me and after being 
propped up on his pillows in almost a sitting pos- 
ture he informed me that he did not expect to live 
long and that he was in need of some one whom 
he could trust, and that he had intuitively selected 
me to carry out his plans. 

"The landlord and a notary were called in and 
this man made an acknowledged statement which 
turned over to me all his effects and named me to 
carry out all settlements of his sickness and 
funeral expenses. He wanted his body cremated 
and the ashes scattered upon the public lawn in 
order that the substance of his body would be 
returned to the economy of nature at once. 

"When we were alone, he showed me a manu- 
script which he said contained important informa- 
tion. He said to preserve the original manuscript, 
for only in it would be found the information that 
would set the world free from debt, superstition, 
envy, unjust government, and foolish customs. 

"The next day he passed away. I carried out 
his instructions to the letter. He had plenty of 
money on his person to pay all expenses and to 
spare. 

"I brought all his effects and the manuscript 
here and locked them up in a closet by themselves 
and there they remain. 

"This story may be tiresome to you, Ainie," 
interjected Mr. Z. 



14 CRATER OF GOLD 

"Oh no," said Ainie, "I am anxious to hear it 
all. May I take it down and type it at my 
leisure?" 

"Yes, you may do so. I expect you to be my 
sole confident for some time. 

"Well, this prospector had written a long let- 
ter of instructions in which he divulged the infor- 
mation that he had several million dollars in 
certain banks which had been made payable to 
the order of K. Zackley & Company, for me to 
use in charitable undertakings and for carrying 
out the development of what was to be found in 
the manuscript. This fortune was made a sacred 
trust and I was the sole trustee with full power 
to use my discretion in its expenditure. 

" *Let him who would know investigate, 
ponder, and scrutinize with diligence,' 'If ye seek 
not, ye cannot find,' are some of the sentences 
from this letter. 

"I unrolled the manuscript. At the top it 
read *The Crater of Gold.' Enclosed within I 
found another letter written by the prospector, 
an explanation of how he had come into posses- 
sion of the 'Crater of Gold' manuscript. It was 
signed 'J. Calvin.' 

"This letter said that in one of his prospecting 
trips, he had wandered up a deep canyon to an 
almost perpendicular wall of a low mountain that 
was unscalable. Here he concluded to camp for 
a few days, and while gathering some brush for 
a fire, he uncovered what at first he took for a 
cave, but which proved to be a subterranean pas- 



CRATER OF GOLD 15 

sage. With his pack burros he ventured in on 
an adventure that tested his mettle, but deter- 
mined to solve the mystery, he trudged on for 
about one mile, when he came out into a circular 
pit, the crater of a long extinct volcano. He dis- 
covered a stone dwelling where dwelt a very old 
man. The old man made him welcome but he 
was much surprised that any one had found the 
way into his retreat. He reasoned that the 
stranger's visit was a Divine Providence. 

"Mr. Calvin was at this crater home but a few 
days when the old man was taken seriously ill. 
When near death he confided in Mr. Calvin and 
turned over to him a huge bunch of manuscripts 
with the instructions to publish the same when- 
ever it seemed advisable for the benefit of the 
world. The old man died and Mr. Calvin placed 
his body in a tomb which had been hewn in the 
solid rock. 

"Now, this Calvin is the prospector that died 
in the hotel here four years ago, and you know 
as much as I do about the origin of this writing 
which contains that which has led me to the great 
discovery. 

"It has been kept secret because Mr. Calvin 
was very insistent that no attempt be made to 
find out his antecedents and requested that every- 
thing in connection with him and his demise be 
kept secret and nothing sent to the papers for 
publication. His letter explained that his name 
was not Calvin, but that there was nothing in a 
name. 



16 CRATER OF GOLD 

"It made no difference to him whether his name 
as Calvin, or any other name, survived or not. 
The important thing was to leave in the world 
that spirit, writing, invention, or information that 
would best tend to the evolution of man, ameli- 
orating conditions and alleviating the suffering 
of humanity. 

"He desired no honors for himself. *What 
good can honors do me after I am dead? It is 
the living now and in time to come that have to 
suffer for the misdeeds of man, not the dead. 
The dead feel no pain. It is the living of the 
futu]-e who will be benefited by the information 
to be found in the manuscript if you decipher its 
message.' " 

"Oh, Mr. Zackley, excuse me! Then you have 
deciphered this message and you are now about 
ready to give to the world a great revelation?" 
broke in Ainie. 

"Yes, I have found in what in itself is a most 
remarkable story, a cipher message which inter- 
prets the true meaning of this writing and gives 
information, if true, will free the world from 
debt, and bring to pass a mighty evolution in the 
affairs of man." 

Here Mr. Zackley unlocked the private closet 
and brought out the original MS. just as it had 
been turned over to him and proceeded to show 
Ainie how in certain lines on each page some word 
was written more vertical than the other words, 
and by finding and arranging these words in 
order the sentence developed "Search that the 



CRATER OF GOLD 17 

truth may be given to the world when Providence 
so directs." 

Ainie was peering over Mr. Z's. shoulder and 
gazing with awe at the MS. and the sentence thus 
brought out. 

"When I discovered this I had no doubt but 
what I had found the key to the hidden message. 
I was disappointed. The vertical words are found 
no more. 

"I read this writing hundreds of times. I 
studied every page, line and word, trying to find 
a clue that would lead me to decipher the mes- 
sage, the existence of which I had no doubt. I 
tried every fifth word, then every seventh word, 
everything I could think of until I was discour- 
aged and gave up in despair, but the idea of 
unravelling this enigma got the better of me. 
I dreamed about it. I prayed to High Heaven 
for light. I was imbued with the intense feeling 
that some way I was destined to bring to the 
knowledge of man, an understanding that would 
make a new epoch in the history of man's strug- 
gles. I knew not what, but I must find this mes- 
sage and so I prayed and pondered. All my 
spare time I spent in my private room pondering 
over the strange mystery. 

"At last I noted that some of the t's were 
crossed with a pronounced downward slant. I 
picked out the words thus marked, but they made 
no meaning. I tried the first and last words in 
these lines and so on with no success. I tried the 
next to the last word and to my unspeakable joy 



18 CRATER OF GOLD 

the enigma was solved. The great mystery was 
revealed and now I am inclined to believe that 
I am the instrument in the hands of Providence 
to carry out what has been planned by the old 
man of 'The Crater of Gold' and J. Calvin, his 
messenger. 

"This message tells of the existence of a great 
mass of pure gold and directs the way to find it. 
It estimates that there are millions of tons of 
pure gold in this crater. It reasons that the 
specific gravity of gold causes it to sink to near 
the earth's center and that there is an immense 
amount of it here which accounts for the great 
density of the earth ; that at this particular place 
the eruption came from the center of the earth 
and this pure gold was squeezed out. Some will 
say gold is never found in a volcanic crater, but 
let me tell you, gold is where you find it." 

"Why did not these men give this information 
in plain language instead of leaving it so dark 
that it might have never been known?" asked 
Ainie. 

"They both believed in Divine Providence, and 
had faith that they were doing the will of the 
Most High. They both believed that man would 
receive the truth in regard to all things as fast 
as he was capable of understanding and that He 
who doeth all things well, would bring forth all 
things needed in the evolution of man. 

"Well, Ainie, you see what I meant by my 
great discovery, and you may contemplate the 
awful changes that will come to this world if this 



CRATER OF GOLD 19 

message is true. You may take this afternoon 
for rest. Tomorrow I have more to tell you." 

Ainie's curiosity was satisfied. She had no 
faith in the mass of gold proposition. She 
thought that "The Crater of Gold" was a sym- 
bolic writing representing nature as the teacher 
of truth, that canyons referred to creeds, pros- 
pecting to investigation, and debris was a sym- 
bol of assumed revelations that hinder mankind 
from accepting the truth when proven. She 
hastened home for lunch. When she reached 
home the mail had been delivered. She noticed 
a large, well stuffed envelope and picked it up. 
The address showed it was from her bank. It 
was too thick for a bank statement, a dun for 
the interest then due on the Bonner mortgage 
would be no thicker than an invitation to a society 
event. "What is it?" She hastily tore open the 
envelope, disclosing to view the whole bundle of 
cancelled notes and mortgages released, that were 
signed: "Robert Bonner, Jeanie Bonner, his 
wife." There was the stamp "Paid" on the notes, 
and written across the mortgages "Released" 
staring her in the face. "No doubt of it ! It is no 
dream! I am wide awake," she thought. "Paid 
by whom? K. Zackley, of course." 

She blushed with shame to think that she was 
the object of charity. She called her mother and 
explained it all. Mrs. Bonner stared at the notes 
and mortgages bewildered and sank limply into 
a chair and moaned, "Dear Ainie, how have you 
ever been able to pay this great debt?" 



20 CRATER OF GOLD 

Ainie told her that some one had done it 
secretly and as she suspected her employer, it was 
best that nothing be said, as "People will talk, 
and talk too much." 

Ainie enquired at the bank that afternoon as 
to her bank balance. She was received with much 
respect and informed that her balance was 
$1,579.25. The president of the bank, I. L. Got- 
rocks, was so profuse in his reception of her that 
she was disgusted with such sycophancy. She 
realized how different is the treatment accorded 
the well-to-do as compared to the cold reception 
given to one in adversity. She was the same Ainie 
now as she was while she was scrimping to save 
her money, wearing her old garments and hats. 
Gotrocks thought Ainie had raised the money and 
she was careful to give him no reason to think 
otherwise. She checked out a hundred dollars and 
left the bank to make purchases of much needed 
dresses and hats to take the place of the old ones 
for herself and mother. 

She mused on life. Something wrong in a sys- 
tem that caused business men to toady and kow- 
tow to one with money, however insignificant that 
person might be, and to disregard those without 
money, however talented. She knew such was the 
case from experience. "I am the same Ainie now 
as then, but now I will be received with open arms 
where before I have been ignored," she thought. 

That evening she found her mother light 
hearted and cheery, her eyes shining with love for 
her child and questioning how such a great debt 
could be paid so secretly. 



CRATER OF GOLD 21 

After supper Ainie requested her mother to 
listen to her for a short time. "I want your 
advise, mother," she said. Her mother sat in her 
easy chair hstening as only a fond mother can 
whose only care is the welfare of her child. 
"Mother, I have fallen in love with Mr. Zackley. 
I could not help it. As I have thought I had no 
chance to win his love and did not wish to embar- 
rass our relations, I have in no way given him 
any reason to suspect that I loved him, but now 
that he has paid our debts, I fear to return to 
the office. I might give way to tears, reveal my 
love and be humiliated. Mother, I want your 
advice, and I will do just as you say." 

"My dear child," said Mrs. Bonner, "jou are 
sweet and sincere. You have been doing your 
work so well that it may be that Mr. Zackley has 
fallen in love with you and this may account for 
his liberal use of money. Being an honorable 
man, he is afraid to venture to declare himself for 
fear of a refusal. Such men would rather face 
a cannon's mouth than a thundering 'No' from a 
woman. You have given him no reason to assume 
that you care for him." 

"If you love him, my advice is that you go back 
to the office tomorrow and do not act so formal. 
Place your hand on his arm carelessly, let a little 
love light shine in your eyes and say in a cheerful 
voice, 'I am ready for work again, Mr. Zackley.' 
Instead of cultivating a stiff demeanor, assume 
a companionable attitude. This will break the 
ice. If Mr. Zackley, as I suspect, has serious 



22 CRATER OF GOLD 

intentions, he will meet you half way and soon 
both of you will be happy in each other's love. 

"Your father acted very much the same. Hon- 
orable men are not bold to declare their love. 
He ! Ho ! Ho ! I had to bring your father to his 
senses. Act your part. Let him see that you 
are not afraid to touch him. Let him know that 
you trust him. If you fail, no harm will be done." 

The next morning Ainie arrived at the office 
on time, determined to play her part. "Of course, 
mother would advise her right." Mr. Zackley 
welcomed her with a cheery "Good morning." 
Ainie replied, "Good morning, Mr. Zackley. You 
are looking fine." She put her hat away and 
tripped over to her employer, placed her hand 
on his arm and said, "Well, Mr. Zackley, my rest 
has done me good. I am ready for work again." 

This friendly action of Ainie's touched Mr. 
Zackley to the heart. He could hardly control 
his desire to then and there have done with it and 
declare his love, but such men control themselves 
until they feel sure of success. The touch of her 
hand caused him such exquisite thrills of pleasure 
that he was reluctant to speak for fear of driving 
that little hand from his arm. As he did not 
answer but just sat and gazed, Ainie took her 
seat in front of the typewriter, facing her em- 
ployer and awaited his pleasure. 

He dropped his head in thought and then ques- 
tioningly said, "I have had a vision, reverie, or 
dream which I want to dictate to you. I have 
not built air castles since I was a lad. Then I 



CRATER OF GOLD 23 

used to build air castles of wonderful things that 
I would do. This may be only an air castle, let 
the title be 

An Air Castle 

A few hours dictation for the "Air Castle" 
and several business letters dispatched, and Ainie 
was on her way home again. She was very happy. 
She had seen enough now to know she would 
land her fish. She planned how she would con- 
tinue to let out the reel or pull in fast on the line 
until her fish was landed. She thought the pro- 
posal would be blurted out with such vehemence 
that it would require all her tact to accept with- 
out being too precipitate. 

You know young ladies spend much time fig- 
uring out how to accept without showing haste 
and often after they are sure of their game, they 
take great pleasure in tantalizing the poor boob. 
Beware, Ainie, this strong, diffident man might 
take your dally for a refusal. You know that 
he is not egotistic enough to presume upon his 
worthiness. Ainie, take it from me, you had 
better make sure at your first opportunity. 

When she reached the palatial residence which 
was her home indeed, free and unincumbered, she 
found an invitation for her and her mother to 
attend a social at the home of banker Gotrocks 
that evening. 

Her mother was delighted to be able again to 
attend such functions, Ainie cared little about it, 
as her mind was occupied with air castles about 



24 CRATER OF GOLD 

the great things she would do and how happy 
she would be with the man of her choice. 

However, she accompanied her mother to this 
society event and took part in the dancing. Her 
face radiated the joy that she felt, which made 
her appear very beautiful and she was easily the 
most sought young lady at this fastidious gath- 
ering. 

The cashier of Gotrock's bank, Wm. Felter, 
tried to monopolize her attentions, danced with 
her repeatedly and escorted her to the banquet. 
After the banquet, he prevailed on her to visit 
the conservatory to "hold communion with the 
flowers" as he said with an air of lofty sentiment. 
Though Ainie kept her distance and gave Mr. 
Felter no possible excuse for silly love making, 
he asked her to be seated and popped himself 
down by her side and tried to take both her hands 
in his. She gently removed her hands to a place 
of safety, and gradually moved over in her seat as 
he nudged closer to her. She tried not to appear 
to understand his movements. Undaunted, Mr. 
Felter got down on his knees and poured out a 
woeful story of eternal love. She knew that he 
had lied and that he was attracted by his desire 
to show off, or further his financial success. Ainie 
despised his pretensions, and begged to return 
to the parlor. "Mother will want to go home 
soon," she said. "Mr. Felter, it is impossible for 
me to give you any encouragement. I am sorry, 
but you will soon find another." Mr. Felter was 
only performing his most effective style of flirting 



CRATER OF GOLD 25 

and he was of such temperament that it was no 
difficult matter for him to return to the parlor 
highly elated with the idea that he had beat all 
the other young fellows to it, he strutted in with 
a lordly bearing and viewed the other nincom- 
poops with a lofty air of superiority. 

Ainie was disgusted with these shallow, society 
egotists and could but see the contrast between 
them and her ideal of a *'man," a manly man who 
meant what he said and said what he meant, a 
man who under no consideration would prove 
false to a trust and ever before her mental gaze 
was the image of her employer, as the one who 
filled the specifications. 

After a few days of congenial work and 
friendly chats in which Mr. Zackley had been on 
the edge of a declaration of his love several times, 
the Air Castle was finished, all typed and edited 
as thoroughly as could be done in a newspaper 
editor's office. 

Ainie in a rich, mellow tone of voice, read the 
composition to her employer as follows : 

An Air Castle 

"It was along in June. I had become tired of 
office drill and business in general. I left this 
office in your charge, Ainie, and announced that 
I was off to the mountains for a vacation. 

*'I put into my suit case such articles as I 
needed to follow out the instructions given in 
this cipher message including a transit, and left 



26 CRATER OF GOLD 

Glenden on the train. In due time I landed at 
the mountain town in Arizona, near the Mexi- 
can border, designated in the directions given to 
find the mass of pure gold. 

"Here I bought a sure footed horse and hired 
two Mexican sheep men with their burros to assist 
me. We loaded these pack burros with a good 
supply of grub and camping outfit. We struck 
out in an easterly direction over a mountainous 
trail. I kept a close outlook and after a few miles 
of travel, we came to a reddish mass of rock 
standing up in perpendicular layers, as if the 
strata of the earth had been blown up and set 
on edge. I examined this, apparently pros- 
pecting. As I expected, there were the marks 
which notified me I must get out the transit and 
determine a course 24° North of East over a 
rough, rocky, mountainous expanse. 

"We kept the course for several hours and 
came to a deep canyon in which we found a small 
stream of pure mountain water as noted. We 
were quite tired and I gave my men orders to 
pitch camp. 

"These Mexicans thought 'Another foolish city 
chap out on a prospecting trip.' They cared little 
what I did. They watched me wander up the 
canyon with a wink, 'There goes a tenderfoot who 
will soon tire of these rocks.' 

"I wandered on and soon came to a place where 
two canyons joined, one bearing to the right, the 
other to the left. Here I looked for a lone pine 
among the junipers, located on the point of land 



CRATER OF GOLD 27 

jutting down between these canyons. Sure 
enough the pine was there towering far above the 
junipers. On a ledge near this pine, I found an 
image of a human hand pointing up the left hand 
canyon, carved in the solid rock. 

"I was getting restless to see the end of this 
mystery. I struck up the left hand canyon as 
fast as I could urge my horse forward, without 
thinking of supper or having any fear. On I 
went for an hour, the low steep mountain ap- 
peared in sight, and just at dusk I reached the 
perpendicular wall and found hidden by brush 
an entrance into this wall. I had located *The 
Crater of Gold' without a doubt. 

"How I wanted to go on! A hungry gnawing 
in my stomach urged me to turn back. 'Plenty 
time tomorrow,' I thought. It was night, but the 
moon was shining bright. 'Good old friend. 
Moon, you will light me back to camp,' I said 
aloud. 

"Well, I got back to camp about nine o'clock. 
The Mexicans had supposed that I was lost and 
had a big fire going in an old dead juniper to 
show me the location of our camp. I allowed 
them to think I had been lost to allay all suspi- 
cions. 

"I ate some supper and soon lay down to sleep. 
My mind was stirred up with imaginations and 
calculations of what great things I would be able 
to do. I lay awake for hours. I prayed as I never 
prayed before. I prayed for Divine guidance. 
I prayed for strength and courage to carry out 



28 CRATER OF GOLD 

my intentions to the betterment of man. Along 
in the late hours of the night, I fell asleep and 
rested quite well though disturbed by visionary 
dreams. 

"I was awakened the next morning by my men 
for breakfast. The sun was shining bright. I ate 
my meal and then informed my men that I wished 
to remain in the canyon for a few days but would 
not need their services. I bought their burros 
and paid them for what they had done. 

"They took it all as a common occurrence, 
wished me success, bade me good bye and de- 
parted. I waited till they were out of sight. I 
made sure that they were gone. Then I broke 
camp, loaded up my stock, and made my way to 
the stone wall. I cleared away the debris that 
choked up the entrance and led the horse into the 
passage. The burros followed just like dogs that 
cannot be driven back. My faith was sure. I 
had no fear but what all would end according to 
instructions. 

"After traveling about a mile in this subter- 
ranean passage into the mountain, I came out into 
a circular pit or crater. There was the stone 
dwelling! The old man's tomb! I found the 
great mass of pure gold, and a pile of thousands 
of tons of gold nuggets gathered together by 
some one, possibly the old gentleman who had 
lived there so long. There was the gold ! Enough 
to pay all the debts of the world a hundred times. 
I can buy all the railroads, all the bonds and 
stocks I 



CRATER OF GOLD 29 

"I will own the world ! A titantic undertaking 
to accomplish which will test my ability, for if the 
capitalists learn of this mass of gold, they will 
raise a hue and cry and the law makers of the 
world will demonetize gold. My work must be 
done secretly. 

"I soon formulated my plans to own the world. 
I would get a large force sworn to secrecy. I 
would have secret agents to travel all over the 
world visiting the banks and big money centers 
to contract options on land, estates, bonds, stocks 
and mortgages of all kinds, paying one per cent 
down, the balance to be paid any time within a 
year. 

"I got my pencil and figured it out in avoirdu- 
pois weight, 7,000 grains to the pound, 23.22 
grains of pure gold to the dollar, approximately 
$300 to a pound, one and two-thirds tons to a 
$1,000,000. 1666^ tons in $1,000,000,000.* It 
would take $200,000,000,000 to pay all the debts 
of the world. I would need at least $100,000,- 
000,000 to buy a controlling interest in big busi- 
ness. The first year of my work would call for 
$300,000,000,000. As they are one and two- 
thirds thousand tons of pure gold in $1,000,000,- 
000, $300,000,000,000 would weigh 500,000 tons. 
This would make 25,000 car loads 20 tons to a 
car, a train load 160 miles in length. 

"I found that a cubic foot of gold weighed 



* Note. — If calculated on the basis of coined or standard gold, 
the results would be % greater or 1^%^ tons to the $1,000,000. 
— Author. 



30 CRATER OF GOLD 

nearly 1,200 pounds. Then a space of 1^ cubic 
feet would hold one ton. I wanted a warehouse 
at the railroad station to hold $180,000,000,000 
as a working capital. This sum in pure gold 
would weigh 300,000 tons. Each ton of gold 
would occupy 1% cubic feet. This sum would 
occupy 500,000 cubic feet of space. A warehouse 
100x500 feet and filled to a depth of 10 feet 
would hold this amount.* 

"I got back to the city as quick as I could. 
I found a stamping machine that could be ad- 
justed to stamp out this pure gold into bricks 
4x4x9 inches. Each brick would weigh 100 
pounds, or 20 bricks to the ton. This machine 
would stamp out 10,000 tons a day. I bought 
narrow gauge rails for a double track tram-way 
from the crater to the warehouse, brick for build- 
ing and ordered 100 cars, each to carry six tons, 
to develop a copper property, I claimed, to pre- 
vent inquisitiveness. I now proceeded to engage 
my secret agents, all sworn to eternal secrecy, to 
travel all over the United States and the world, 
to secure options. I worked rapidly and selected 
1,000 workmen under oath to say nothing about 
my business. This force I put to work building 
double track tram- ways and warehouse. Within 
a month the work was done. During the same 
time my agents had wonderful success in securing 

* Note. — 2% eu. ft. of pure gold weighs 3298.611,'^ lbs. instead 
of 1% tons (3333.33 lbs.) and is $994,412.50. The warehouse 
100x500x10 ft. would hold $178,994,250,000.00 in pure, gold— 
$1,005,750,000.00 short of $180,000,000,000.00. 1% cu. ft. of 
pure gold weighs 19791/^ lbs., 20% lbs. short of a ton. — Author. 



CRATER OF GOLD 31 

options on a controlling interest in the stocks of 
all railroads and other syndicates including great 
land estates, Miller & Lux and others. 

"Up to this time the entrance to the crater had 
been kept hidden, but now I took all the men up 
to this entrance, the obstructions were removed 
and the most surprised crowd of men you ever 
saw marched through the passage to the mass of 
gold. I explained my intentions of buying the 
world, pay off all the debts and form a Tounda- 
tion' with all this property to be used in the 
interest of all the people for all time. I made 
it plain why nothing should be told until the 
exchange deals were consummated. I promised 
each man a home or 160 acres of land wherever 
it suited him. I explained that each would be 
required to pay 4% tax into the Foundation, but 
that from this any other taxes would be sub- 
tracted, i. e., their total tax should not exceed 4%. 

"Everything worked fine. We got out 5,000 
to 10,000 tons of gold a day and in less than two 
months the warehouse at the station was filled. 
$180,000,000,000 ready for options. A good 
working capital. 

"I had secretly turned over to the Government 
$5,000,000,000 for coinage and had received gold 
certificates in payment. In large sums I de- 
posited this in banks all over the world for the 
use of my secret agents, who by this time had 
secured options that would require over $200,- 
000,000,000. In this work they had spent over 
$3,000,000,000 in expenses and first payments 



32 CRATER OF GOLD 

upon options secured. This great addition to 
the money of the world had caused prices to 
double, that is the purchasing power of gold 
had depreciated rapidly, not that the value of 
property had increased. 

"No one was able to understand what was the 
matter, and as is always the case, the pay of 
labor was not advanced in proportion to the de- 
preciation in the purchasing power of the pay. 
There was much contention, much fault finding 
with the Government, strikes, disturbances and 
the use of soldiers to suppress riots. 

"It appalled me to contemplate what an up- 
heaval would come when I had thrown into circu- 
lation $300,000,000,000. It was plain to see that 
a twenty-dollar gold piece would then buy no 
more than ten cents would buy now. A day's 
work would pay off a $1,000 mortgage then. 

"Man must invent a new medium of exchange. 
It is up to man to find an unfluctuating standard 
of value on such a basis as will best prevent 
capitalistic control and peculations and give labor 
full credit for its product. 

"Thus far labor and capital were battling 
away, each trying to get the better of the other 
under a hog-and-dog system — sl battle royal in 
which the weak and poor unfortunates were 
crowded to unbearable conditions by the strong 
and cunning. 

"Representatives to make laws for the people 
had failed. Represent the people, bosh! These 
legislators of the world represent their masters, 



CRATER OF GOLD 33 

the intrenched capitalistic interests. So I rea- 
soned, but the great task of shipping all this gold 
to all parts of the world stared me in the face. 

"I must get busy and get this first batch of 
options paid before these sleeping moneybags 
wake up and block my game. 

"The big war was over. The cause of Liberty 
had triumphed and all nations had formed a com- 
pact to disarm and to submit all differences to 
an international tribunal, and I easily arranged 
with the railroad magnates for the continuous use 
of 5,000 freight cars for six months at the rate 
of 500 empties brought in and 500 loads taken 
out each day. 

"By this time I had increased my force to 2,000 
men in order to keep a constant stream of gold 
on the move from the crater to the warehouse, 
and from the warehouse to the payment of my 
obligations. I sent ten men with each trainload 
of fifty cars to guard the valuable cargo until 
delivered to the consignee. Each train took about 
one-half a billion dollars and with ten trains, of 
fifty carloads each, out each day, I succeeded in 
shipping about $5,000,000,000 a day. 

"It only takes a layer of gold four feet wide 
and twenty-five feet long and four inches thick 
to make a car load of twenty tons, and this cov- 
ered with sheet iron nailed to the floor of the car 
prevented discovery of the nature of the ship- 
ment. 

"Within one month I had all my land, rail- 
way and syndicate stock options paid and was 



34 . CRATER OF GOLD 

the controlling owner of a vast property. I did 
not care then if a car load or a train load of gold 
were stolen. 

"Prices of all commodities had gone sailing 
upwards, and, as an example, wheat was $100 
per bushel, eggs $25 per dozen — everything in 
proportion. The country was in a great furore 
of labor troubles — politics raging, newspapers 
filled with theories and scathing denunciations 
of K. Zackley for bringing on such a catastrophe 
as paying the debts of the world had brought, 
and lurid appeals to Congress to demonetize gold. 
All the wise men were dumfounded. Thou- 
sands of suits for damage were brought against 
me in all parts of the country. 

*'Rosenpelter was President of the United 
States. I was forthwith ordered to the White 
House. I went and found the President a very 
nice gentleman, and condescended to shake hands 
with him. I explained fully that since the debt- 
ors of the world only owed so much gold, and 
that when the creditors received this amount of 
gold they got all that was due them, if the value 
of gold had depreciated, the debtors were not to 
blame. 

"I gave the President an outline of what 
should be done and rejoiced that it was now pos- 
sible for this mismanaged planet to institute a 
system of government that would remove envy 
and crime from the hearts of the people and 
establish justice on the earth. I told him that 
all people were naturally good, but that ages of 



CRATER OF GOLD 35 

capitalistic misrule and greed had perverted 
many; still if given a square deal, they would 
naturally do right; that the animal struggle for 
the mastery in all hues had caused many a good 
man to yield to bribe temptations, but that they 
were only victims of a vicious and unjust system, 
and not to be blamed — ^the system had made them 
what they were. 

"Mr. Rosenpelter's eyes lighted up v/ith under- 
standing. He brought his fist down on the desk, 
and said, *Bully ! I see it all now. You must 
go before Congress and show them what to do. 
These wise Congressmen are only wise in their 
own conceit, wise in routine and known quanti- 
ties, but just as soon as a new condition confronts 
them, they are a puny, inefiicient bunch of lob- 
sters, with weasel words and weasel understand- 
ings.' 

"I was paying my men with day labor certifi- 
cates. A certificate for one day's work — eight 
hours of common labor — I called a 'Daylor.' 
Each daylor was guaranteed to buy at least 100 
pounds of flour, 5 bushels of potatoes, 30 pounds 
of meat, and other things in proportion, at my 
stores. A daylor was now exchanging for $200 
in gold and no doubt would soon bring $1,000. 

"I laid my plans before Congress and agreed 
to turn over all my property to the Common- 
wealth if my plans were accepted and ratified by 
the States. 

"It was not without much debate and threaten- 
ing opposition that any resolution could be 



36 CRATER OF GOLD 

brought to a vote. To get the thing started, I 
had Senator Blowhard, the leader of the Progres- 
sives in Congress, to push to a vote a resolution 
which provided that each party select an Initia- 
tive Committee of ten men to prepare their 
party's proposal of a new form of government 
for the government of the country. This carried 
and the work commenced. The proposals were 
all to be published and distributed to the people 
in time to hold a general constitutional election 
on June 4th following. A majority vote was 
required to ratify the new law. 

"The Progressives and Socialists committees 
harmonized their efforts and called me to assist 
them in preparing a Constitution, Code of Laws 
and a Code of Law Procedure for the Common- 
wealth of America. 

"This proposal ignored the rights of States, 
and instead of forty-eight State laws, United 
States law, common law and city ordinances, a 
multiplicity of systems of law and law procedure, 
a tangled mess in mongrel Latin to harass a 
long-suffering people, and require a host of law- 
yers and judges to handle litigation and interpret 
all these jungled laws, we proposed one law for 
the whole country in simple American. This 
law was made so plain that any one could be his 
or her own lawyer. Under this plan, lawyers 
could not twist the law to cover up the tracks of 
the soulless corporations in their nefarious and 
outrageous peculations and exploitations of the 
resources of the people. 



CRATER OF GOLD 37 

"This constitution provided in part that the 
executive department of the Government shall 
consist of an Executive Council of ten men ; that 
the Legislative Department shall consist of party 
initiative commissions to propose laws to be sub- 
mitted to a vote of the people; that the Judicial 
Department shall consist of a supreme judiciary 
of ten men and United States district judges; 
that an Utility Department shall be instituted 
and that the supervisors of the utility depart- 
ments of the Government shall constitute the 
Utility Board. 

"All legislatures were abolished. All execu- 
tive officers or public servants, as they were 
called, must be elected by the people. All other 
positions were filled by competitive examinations 
and judged by the performance of their duties. 

"It provided for an Inspection Board of ten 
men authorized to examine the books and pro- 
ceedings of any public servant, high or low. 

The Code of Law provided that the Common- 
wealth shall engage in all kinds of business and 
public ownership of utilities, but should not inter- 
fere with private enterprise; that every laborer 
shall be given work and not be compelled to 
spend half his time with a roll of blankets on 
his back looking for work ; that public dispensa- 
ries shall be established in every town that shall 
furnish the people with the necessaries of life at 
cost (this would regulate the speculating syndi- 
cates automatically) ; that the sale of all drugs, 
narcotics and alcoholic stimulants shall be imder 



38 CRATER OF GOLD 

Government control ; that diseased persons whose 
disease threaten the health of posterity shall be 
quarantined until cured; that sanitariums shall 
be maintained for the free treatment of all dis- 
seased and disabled persons in need of such treat- 
ment; that no one shall be prosecuted for crime, 
but that persons with perverted intellects shall be 
detained on detention farms and in schools for 
teaching and reform ; that Commonwealth schools 
shall be maintained for the instruction of Com- 
monwealth employees; that eight hours of com- 
mon labor shall be the unit of value; that all 
citizens of the Commonwealth, irrespective of sex 
or color, shall have the right of suffrage, and 
many other useful provisions. 

"The Democrats, standpat Republicans and 
Conservatives united. They proposed the old 
Constitution with a few changes, demonetized 
gold and remonetized silver. 

"These two plans were printed by the millions 
and distributed. Candidates for all offices pro- 
vided in these plans were named, and the most 
exciting campaign in our history raged with fury. 

"The Conservatives felt sure of victory. They 
banked heavily on the influence of 'Old Custom' 
and the prestige of our grand old Constitution 
that was born in the stress and storm of the for- 
mation of the Republic. 

"The Progressives had named Rosenpelter and 
nine other far-seeing men for the Supreme Coun- 
cil and used much tact in the selection of all 
candidates for all other positions of trust. 



CRATER OF GOLD 39 

"The contest was bitter. Capitalists were de- 
termined not to lose their grip upon the throat 
of Labor and Humanity; but as the campaign 
progressed many great and good men and women 
saw the Light of the better day for the human 
race. The people had suffered long enough from 
misrule and bloody wars, and to cut it short, the 
great reform won. The Commonwealth of 
America, a new form of government, was estab- 
lished. 

"I turned over all my property to the new 
Government, so it was out of debt. It was 
owner, in the name of the whole people, of the 
railroads, telegraph and telephone lines, big busi- 
ness, and broad acres of land. Land in five to 
forty acre tracts was rented to poor citizens at a 
4 per cent rental. Many of the large estates 
were used to employ the surplus labor. 

"Everything moved along smoothly, much 
better than had been expected by the most san- 
guine. 

"I had been elected Chief Inspector with a 
salary of 100 daylors per day and free transpor- 
tation to all parts of the Commonwealth. I was 
overwhelmed with telegrams and letters thanking 
me for what I had done, or inviting me to other 
countries. 

"My strenuous work over for a time, my 
thoughts turned back to Glenden where there was 
a young lady I loved — nay, worshiped." 

Ainie had no doubt but what she was the young 
lady, but she desired to bide the time when she 



40 CRATER OF GOLD 

felt sure Mr. Zackley would declare himself. 
She read over this without betraying her emotion. 

"I took a fast train for the West. On my 
trip I was hailed everywhere by great crowds as 
the * Savior of the World.' I assured them that 
I was a very common man whose only desire was 
to do that which would ameliorate the suffering 
of mankind forever and make earth a fit place to 
live and raise children. 

"When I reached Glenden I called on my 
young lady friend and confessed my undying love 
for her. She graciously accepted my proffer of 
marriage. We married and together we traveled 
inspecting the workings of the new regime. We 
traveled all over Europe, Asia, Africa and the 
islands and were everywhere received with gi-eat 
honor and proclaimed the 'King and Queen' of 
earth. All nations took our system for a pattern 
and all peoples were brothers indeed. 

"A fly got busy buzzing around my head and 
face until it brought me to my senses. I gave a 
few vicious swipes and tried to kill the pesky 
critter. I jumped up, rubbed my head and sank 
down in my office chair, to finish some private 
instructions to a party whom I expect to attend 
to my business while I take a much needed rest." 

Ainie had finished her reading. She dropped 
the manuscript on her desk and looked straight 
into her employer's eyes. She was filled with 
overpowering love for him, and possibly her eyes 
conveyed an inkling of the truth to the mind of 
her lover. He shuffled restlessly in his chair and 



CRATER OF GOLD 41 

broke the silence by saying, "Ainie" — then hesi- 
tated. 

Ainie nerved herself to hear a proposal. She 
thought, "It is coming now," but Mr, Zackley 
with diffidence continued, "Wh — what do you 
think of my air-castle?" 

Poor, disappointed Ainie! She blushed with 
shame, and turned pale with the thought, "My 
hopes are only air-castles after all," but she ral- 
lied and replied, "It is wonderful, Mr. Zackley." 
Then, with the intention of encouraging her timid 
lover, she made bold to say, "If there were some 
real love affair to add to this air-castle, it would 
make a great picture for the movies." 

Mr. Z. : "Yes, if it could be produced on the 
screens, it would make a vivid illustration of the 
huge burden of indebtedness that is laid on the 
back of Labor for the ages to come." 

Ainie: "Such instruction or refined pictures 
of sentiment would be better for the young than 
the trash now prevailing. I am disgusted with 
the picture shows with their blood, slang and 
rough stuff." 

"For a certain reason, I will make a confiden- 
tial confession to you, Ainie," slowly announced 
Mr. Z. 

Ainie's heart jumped and pounded away at a 
furious rate. She fortified herself for the trying 
ordeal of properly replying to a proposal from 
her loved one. 

Mr. Zackley continued: "My real name is 
not Zackley. I was raised in a quiet, religious 



42 CRATER OF GOLD 

neighborhood back in Illinois. I was the only 
child of well-to-do parents who took great pride 
in me. They paid my way through the imiver- 
sity. I graduated with honors, under my right 
name, Ebenezer Gootsop. My college education 
caused me much trouble, I had imbibed the phi- 
losophy of Spencer, Huxley and Darwin, and I 
was an avowed agnostic when I returned home. 
My mother wept bitter tears and my father 
rebuked me in scathing terms — still I was the 
more confirmed in my ideas. 

"In a speech at the town-hall, I condemned 
all orthodox churches and pronounced all re- 
ligions *species of insanity,' so on I went. For 
this I was ostracized and mistreated by my good 
neighbors. Some Nemesis seemed to interfere 
with my undertakings. I failed. I was a fail- 
ure! My parents passed away in my twenty- 
eighth year, and as I had no close relatives, I 
resolved to leave the old home and neighborhood, 
change my name and never again engage in the 
discussion of abstruse questions. 

"A wag suggested that if he had my name he 
would hock it and lose the ticket. 

"Well, I sold out and came West and settled 
here and ever since I have been as silent as the 
grave in regard to my beliefs. 

"When a lad, I was in the habit of mispro- 
nouncing words in casual slang conversations, as 
*kersackley' for 'exactly.' In my musing to select 
a new name, I said to myself, *I want a name 
different from any one else in the world ; then f ol- 



CRATER OF GOLD 43 

lowed the 'Kerzackley.' *K. Zackley,' I repeated. 
*That's it. K. Zackley is my name.' 

**Though I do not accept the old legends from 
the ages of the past, I do recognize a Supreme 
Ruler, an unchangeable power that rules the uni- 
verse. My experiences of late years have proven 
to me that there is a mysterious power that comes 
to those who submit humbly to the inevitable and 
pray for Divine guidance. Such people are more 
liable to lead moral lives than those who depend 
upon their scientific logic. 

"I believe that if children were allowed to grow 
up with no teaching, their moral sense would be 
on a par with chickens and pigs. 

"As all are born into this world inheriting their 
traits of character from the ages of the past and 
are surrounded with environments over which 
they have no control that make them what they 
are, none are to blame for what they are. This 
being the case, my religion is to treat all people 
with charity, regardless of color, race, condition 
or belief," and so on, Mr. Zackley explained his 
spiritual condition. He wanted Ainie to under- 
stand him in his true light. He was sincere, and 
there must be no reservations on his part. 

Ainie replied, "I have absolute faith that the 
constancy of nature is emblematic of the attri- 
butes of the Most High; that what happens 
always did and always will happen, conditions 
being the same ; that we cause our own suffering 
by the disobedience of the laws of our creation; 
that religions are evolutions of the spiritual in 



44 CRATER OF GOLD 

man ; that true Christianity is based on deeds and 
rewards according, and is the highest spiritual 
evolution taught to man," and so on she explained 
her beliefs. 

This opened the eyes of our hero. He thought, 
"We are real soulmates." He squared himself 
for the desperate plunge, win or lose. 

"When I was a little fellow, I met a little 
neighbor girl in the lane. She had an apple arid 
I had an orange. I thought that I would like to 
trade my orange for her apple, and she thought 
(learned after) that she would like to trade her 
apple for my orange, but we both were so bashful 
that we ran by each other without making our 
wishes known. I have often thought that there 
are many sad disappointments in this life just 
because people fail to make known their desires. 
I have been trying for months to nurse my cour- 
age to the sticking point. Now, win or lose, I 
will tell you that I love you ! I know that I am 
not worthy to ask so much of you, but I want 
you to be my wife." 

Ainie's joy was too great for utterance. With 
tears streaming down her cheeks, she stepped 
over to this big manly man, put her arms around 
his neck, nestled up close to his bosom and whis- 
pered, "If you love me half as much as I love you, 
we will be the happiest people in the world." 

Mr. Zackley was not slow in clasping his arms 
tight around this lovely woman — not a word — 
just unalloyed bliss. With his arms around his 
darling prize, he led the way to a settee. There 



CRATER OF GOLD 45 

they sat for a friendly chat with many a smile 
and laugh about how foolish they both had been. 
They talked for an hour, which to them seemed 
only a few minutes. 

Mr. Z. came to a decision. ''I need a rest from 
this old office. Tomorrow I intended to be on 
my way to Arizona in quest of the 'Crater of 
Gold.' Let's get busy, call on a minister, and 
we'll both be off for Arizona in the morning for 
our honeymoon." 

"I always expected when I married I would 
have time to make preparations for such a mo- 
mentous event. I have no trousseau ready, but 
I am wilhng to leave it all to my mother. We 
must see her and get her consent and blessing. 
Nothing will please me more than doing that 
which will make you happy, Mr. Zackley." 

"We will go at once. I will plead the case 
with Mrs. Bonner. She's a good friend of mine, 
you know," said Mr. Zackley. 

Up to the Bonner residence they went in a 
hurry. Mrs. Bonner was pleased to give her con- 
sent to Mr. Zackley's requests with the sugges- 
tion that the Zackleys must live with her and not 
deprive a poor mother of the solace of her only 
and darling child. Mr. Zackley put one strong 
arm around Mrs. Bonner, the other around Ainie, 
and said, "We will never desert you, mother." 

A few friends were invited. That evening 
there was feasting, rejoicing and a simple wed- 
ding ceremony, and Mr. and Mrs. Zackley were 
off for Arizona in the morning looking for 
"The Crater of Gold." 



46 CRATER OF GOLD 



WAR IS MURDER 
(1914) 

God, give me strength to write the truth 

In burning words of logic strong, 
To convince all peoples of the world 

We're brothers all and war is wrong. 
For a man to kill a man is crime; 

Should nations from this law be free? 
They are killing thousands ev'ry day. 

They slaughter men in ghoulish glee. 

Nations of the earth, the time has come 

To formulate the terms of peace — 
Giving liberty to all mankind. 

Providing for all wars to cease. 
Arbitration and disarmament 

Are means by which it may be done. 
Let the people rule and bring content 

And let all nations live as one. 



CRATER OF GOLD 47 

FREEDOM OF THE SEAS 
(February, 1917) 



Uncle Sam has always fought 

For the freedom of the seas. 
There's a nation now declares 

That she'll do just as she please. 
That she'll sink our ships on sight, 

That no warning will be giv'n, 
Though our travelers on sea 

Are blown up and sent to heav'n. 

2 

Now they plot to overthrow 

This the bulwark of the free. 
Despots backed by armed force 

That wage war with ghoulish glee. 
Though we've always longed for peace. 

And withhold our anger sore, 
And have not prepared for war. 

These insults we'll stand no more. 

3 

Nations, all, must be set free. 

Formulate the terms of peace 
To provide eternally 

That despotic wars shall cease. 
Let the people always rule 

And bring on the Jubilee — - 
Peace on earth, good-will to man, 

Men to men will brothers be. 

Chorus 

Rally round the flag, do not your duty shun, 
Now's the time — enlist each true American. 

If you cannot be the man behind the gun. 
Rally for the flag and stand behind this man. 



48 CRATER OF GOLD 

OUR FLAG'S UNFURLED 
(April, 1917) 



In the darkest hour of Freedom's war. 

The Star Spangled Ranner was unfurled. 
Its Red, White and Rlue shine brighter far 

Than other flags of all this world : 
For this flag proclaims the rights of man,— 

The right to change his government. 
The right to think, the right to plan 

That which to him may bring content. 

Chorus 
Then, here's to the Red, White and Rlue, 

The flag of Freedom and Reform, 
We'll stand "True-Rlue" and pledge anew 

Our loyalty in the stress and storm. 

2 

In this war for freedom of the sea. 

The Stars and Stripes the brighter grow. 
It has ever waved to set men free. 

Strike down the false, give all a show. 
And in time, as the years roll along. 

As we defend humanity. 
Protect the weak against the strong, 

We make our nation's destiny. 

3 

We must fight to keep the despots down, 

They conquer nations for their gain; 
Proclaim freedom to the world around. 

Though Kaiser Wilhelm may be slain. 
Let the people of the nations, all. 

Unite for everlasting peace, 
Crown Labor king, hear Justice call 

That love, not envy, may increase. 



CRATER OF GOLD 49 

UNCLE SAM MUST FIGHT 
(May, 1917) 

We'll rally round the flag again, 

For Uncle Sam's in trouble now; 
He's calling for his fighting men 

From office, forge, the shop and plow, 
To buckle on the sword and belt 

And rush into the battle's din, 
That we may make our wishes felt. 

We'll back our boys, for we must win. 

Your Uncle Sam must fight some now. 

Though hardly in his fighting trim, 
To haughty powers he will not bow — 

His loyal sons will fight for him. 
They'll grab their guns and stand in line 

To guard our homes on Freedom's ground. 
They'll man our ships, brave ocean's brine. 

Sink pirate ships wherever found. 

Your Uncle Sam will hold for peace. 

But use his mighty strength as well 
To cause the nations' wars to cease 

That make this earth a living hell. 
The pacifists by breeding scares 

May bring upon us a fierce foe. 
If any nation ever dares. 

We'll hurl them back, they'll have to go. 



To formulate the terms of peace 
To nations now we make our plea. 

Providing that all wars shall cease. 
All nations of the earth set free. 



50 CRATER OF GOLD 

Disarmament and a Peace League 
Are means by which it may be done; 

All peoples then will be at peace, 
All nations then will live as one. 

Slogan 

If you can't go across with the guns, 
Then you must come across with the funds. 



JINGO LAND— A DREAM VERBATIM 

In a dream, I found myself in a foreign coun- 
try of great enterprise, inhabited by an intelligent 
and kind-hearted people. 

I saw many entering a large cathedral standing 
on the banks of a great river, and I drifted with 
the crowd into this building and sat down on a 
bench facing two well-dressed young ladies who 
entered into a conversation with me. They 
informed me that their names were Elysa and 
Therma. 

Elysa was tall, also somewhat dignified in her 
conversation. Therma was of medium height 
and very pretty. She talked as if we were well 
acquainted and used no subterfuge to hide her 
emotions or meaning. I was in love with Therma 
at first sight, and just imagine my surprise when 
she said, "Let's you and I snoozle up." I re- 
plied, "I don't know what you mean by *snoozle 
up,' but K. Zackley is willing." 

"You do not know what I mean by snoozle 
up?" said Therma. "You must be a stranger 
here in Jingo Land. Snoozle up means to join 
heart and hand for life." 

There was a continuous performance or vaude- 
ville on the stage, and just then there appeared 
a spectacular scene of the slaughter of human 
beings. During the performances there had 

51 



52 CRATER OF GOLD 

been much changing oi positions of the people; 
but at this time there was a general commotion 
and I lost track of my lady friends. 

I noticed that a few of the people were decked 
in diamonds and silken fineries; most of them 
had no fineries, and many were hardly dressed, 
being bundled up in rags. 

A lively succession of events was taking place 
on the stage, and I settled down to take in the 
show, expecting to find the young ladies later. 
Especially, I wanted to see Therma again. 

The last performance I supposed was a mar- 
velous phantasmagoria. Car loads, wagon loads 
and piles of dead people were sold at auction. 
The stage cleared of this and a large concourse 
of young ladies appeared on the stage and sang 
in a fantastic air with many curtsies something 
like the following: 

"We go to the happy Josh Land tonight, 
We're true to the all Great Josh all right. 
We go to save our sisters and brothers, 
They'll take care of our fathers and mothers. 

Happy, happy, happy, 

Happy we; 
Happy, happy, happy. 

Don't you see; 
Happy, happy, happy. 

As can be." 

And so on the rigmarole went until the stage 
with the young ladies sank out of sight and there 



CRATER OF GOLD 53 

appeared a swift river filled with dead and dying 
human beings floating by rapidly. 

I thought I saw Therma among the singers, 
and I was in a disturbed state of mind as to the 
meaning of all this halaballoo. I was trying to 
figure out how these people were able to produce 
such an illusion, when, as if with one accord, the 
assemblage arose, received a benediction and dis- 
persed. 

Later I ran across Elysa alone, and I asked, 
"Where is Therma?" 

She said: "Don't you know that Therma was 
called to sacrifice her life to appease the anger 
of the Great Josh ? Had she had a husband, she 
would not have been called for a sacrifice." 

"And is Therma dead?" I asked, with tears 
running down my cheeks. 

Elysa answered in matter-of-fact tones, "Yes, 
she went away happy." 

"Did she have to give up her life just because 
some human ghoul said that the Great Josh 
wanted her?" 

"Oh, no! We are taught that, when we give 
up our lives for the Great Josh, we go straight to 
the happy Josh Land. We give up all we have 
to the Great Josh when we are called. We can 
pay a sum of money and not sacrifice our lives, 
but by so doing we may never be able to reach the 
happy Josh Land." 

"Were they really killing people on the stage 
and selling their bodies at auction, or throwing 
them into the river ?" 



54 CRATER OF GOLD 

"Yes, those people put to death were sacri- 
fices. Their bodies are sold to the factories for 
fuel, as that is the cheapest way to dispose of the 
dead, besides this brings in revenue for the Great 
Josh. The young ladies who are sacrificed and 
bodies that do not sell are thrown into the river." 

I said in plaintive tones, "Poor Thermal Poor 
Therma I Had I known this, I would have saved 
your life. No wonder that you wanted to 
*snoozle up.' " I continued, "This is something 
hideous!" Then thinking I might insult Elysa, 
I said, "Pardon me, Elysa, may I express my 
horror and condemnation of this awful practice?" 

She replied: "I do not see why j^ou should be 
so horrified ! All nations are sacrificing, or have 
sacrificed to the Great Josh. You may express 
your opinions to me, as I grant to each and every 
one the right of free thought and free speech; 
but I advise you to speak low. There are many 
zealots of our system in Jingo Land who do not 
countenance a difference in opinions, and, if they 
hear you, they may take a shot at you." 

"Well," I said, "I would like to get on that 
stage with an ax and chop the wooden head off 
of that miserable old Josh and get the men behind 
who are fattening from this pernicious system. 
This Lethean faith seems to be an elysian state of 
mind, but knowledge and reasoning may bring 
doubts that will set us free from this old non- 
sense, lead to a higher ideal of life and cause the 
peoples of the earth to form an international com- 



CRATER OF GOLD 55 

pact to forever discontinue the sacrifice of human 
life." (Here I awoke.) 

However unrehable dreams may be, this dream 
portrays a condition brought about by Mihtarism 
and Bhnd-Faith, two beasts devoid of reason and 
without mercy that are ever ready to assail those 
who disagree with them and wage wars of con- 
quest, which makes it necessary for the peoples 
of the earth that would maintain free govern- 
ment and majority consent to all laws to wage 
imrelentless war till all such beasts are subdued 
and such a settlement made that all differences 
must be adjusted by an international tribunal — 
an international union so strong that never again 
will despots attempt or even dream of wars of 
conquest. 

If it is necessary in time of war to control rapa- 
cious, speculating syndicates, extortioners and 
laborers, it is as plain as the wart on your nose 
that they should be controlled in time of peace. 

The people at no time should be robbed, nor 
should they be subjected to inconvenience or loss 
by shutdowns and strikes. They have the right 
to require both capitalists and laborers to submit 
their differences to arbitration. 



56 CRATER OF GOLD 



THE LAW 



It appears that nature's law is true law from on 

High, 
And not man-made laws on which you cannot well 

rely. 
As the law is constant, inexorable and supreme, 
We destroy ourselves by disobeying, it would seem. 
And we save ourselves by finding out the truth and 

right, 
And in fear and trembling, "Keep the law," both 

day and night. 
That which contradicts the law of nature is untrue. 
By this rule, we throw aside the legends for the 

New. 

II 

When one meets the savage beast in animal or 

man. 
There is no escape except by a defensive plan. 
Disobedience of law brings certain punishment. 
Whether wilful, unenlightened, or by accident. 
For obedience to law and truth reward is sure, 
In the inspiration to the soul and body cure. 
Mother nature tries with patience long to save her 

child. 
Constant sins destroy the tissue, the soul is defiled; 
There's no restoration and the injured part is lost, 
That's unpardonable sin and death the final cost. 



K. ZACKLEY'S STATEMENT 

The name, "The Crater of Gold," was written 
on a bundle of manuscripts entrusted to my care 
by a middle-aged prospector, who, on his death- 
bed at the hotel, informed me that he had no rela- 
tives or effects that called for an inquiry after 
his death. 

He told me to use what little money he had to 
pay the expenses of cremation and to scatter his 
ashes upon the public lawn. He closed his in- 
structions by saying: "My letter and the manu- 
scripts explain themselves." So there is no more 
history to be given. The reader may judge for 
himself. 

(Signed) K. Zackley. 



57 



THE PROSPECTOR'S LETTER 

1913 

After due consideration of the wishes of the 
mysterious author of the manuscript, entitled 
"The Crater of Gold," I, J. Calvin, herewith con- 
sent to its publication. The reader is entitled to 
an account of its origin and how it came into my 
possession. 

To begin with, I have been a rambler and pros- 
pector for many years, visiting various untrodden 
regions of the wild, mountainous parts of the 
world. 

In the spring of 19 — , I stocked up for a long 
prospecting trip. With my burros heavily laden 
with tools and supplies, I started out early in the 
spring for the mountains. 

I explored many canyons and ridges looking 
for drift which might lead to a mother lode of 
rich ore, also I examined ravines and old water 
courses for placer mining. I found some fine 
specimens of drift ore that indicated rich pay 
dirt not far away; but so far had failed to make 
the coveted strike. This was along in June and 
I was following up a narrow canyon to an almost 
perpendicular wall which seemed to end in a 
sharp peak of a low mountain that could not be 
scaled to the top. 

58 



CRATER OF GOLD 59 

On reaching the wall, I paused in admiration 
of the grand scenery and concluded to camp there 
for a few days. While climbing up the side of 
some rocks and removing some old debris to se- 
cure wood, I discovered a cave. A current of 
air was passing through this cave in such a man- 
ner as to convince me that here was a mystery 
which to explore would test my metal. I nerved 
up and trudged into the cave, which proved to 
be a passage way. After about one mile, I came 
out into a huge, circular pit with high circular 
walls extending above me. I looked down a 
gradual, sloping incline, and to my wonder, there 
appeared at the bottom a circular stone wall en- 
closing a tract of cleared, cultivated land. At 
the other side of the enclosure was a stone dwell- 
ing and a general appearance of habitation. 

What could all this mean? I noticed that 
steam was rising from all parts of the crater, for 
crater it must be. This accounted for the 
warmth of the atmosphere. Many hot springs 
no doubt. 

Determined to investigate and possibly find a 
better camping ground there than in the canyon 
on the outside, I moved down to the wall and 
around it till I came to the house. Just outside 
a nicely constructed gate of five parts, I came 
face to face with a very old man, whose long gray 
locks hung over his shoulders. He was startled 
but no more so than I was at our sudden meeting. 
I was on the outlook for an adventure, or I would 
have been much more surprised. 



60 CRATER OF GOLD 

This man struck me as a most wonderful being, 
calm and intellectual. He was well dressed for 
a mountaineer, and seemed to be in a deep study. 
I told him that I was looking for a place to camp 
a few days, and had accidentally found ingress 
to his fortress, without any intention of molesting 
any one, and that I was a prospector looking for 
gold. At first, he seemed to be in doubt as to 
what to do ; but after close observation of me, he 
muttered, "You will do," and motioned me to fol- 
low him. He led the way through his gate to his 
dwelling and bade me welcome to his home as 
long as I could put up with its inconveniences as 
he did. 

He said: "I never expected to see any human 
being in this place, where I have lived for forty 
years. I never intended that such should hap- 
pen. You may be sent by Divine Providence for 
a purpose." 

He informed me that he did not wish to tell 
his history, that more than forty years ago his 
sweetheart died, and not being successful in busi- 
ness that he had wandered off into the mountains 
prospecting, and had accidentally found his way 
into this retreat. He pointed out where there 
was an immense amount of gold, but said that he 
only used what he needed to supply his wants, 
that he would make two or three trips a year to 
different towns, sell his gold, stock up good and 
let his burros pack in plenty for all his needs; 
that he never gave his right name, nor any clew 
to his abode ; that the world was always too busy 



CRATER OF GOLD 61 

to care about an old man anyway ; that the world 
helps the successful, but the unsuccessful are 
handicapped at every turn. 

I made this retreat my home for several days 
and became very intimate with the hospitable old 
gentleman. He had learned to trust me, and I 
could see that he was contemplating to take me 
into his confidence for some mission, but before 
he had divulged his intentions, he was taken seri- 
ously ill, and on the morning of the third day 
after he had become bedfast, he called me to his 
bedside, took me by the hand and said: "My 
son, my time to go has come." 

I begged him not to think so, and told him that 
he was good for many years yet, also that I was 
a kind of a physician and I offered him some 
medicine. 

He said: "If you are a physician, you must 
know that medicine will not prolong my life." 
He took some tonic, however, which revived him 
somewhat, but he just remarked: "It can not 
be done, my sands are run, my time is short and I 
must put my house in order." 

He turned over and pointed to a large chest 
and said: "My son, bring that chest to my bed- 
side and please assist me to do the last sad act of a 
long and useless life. I was too much inclined to 
dream what ought to be, question what has been 
and look forward to what will be, instead of tak- 
ing advantage of what is, let well enough alone 
and achieve success." 



62 CRATER OF GOLD 

I hauled the chest to his bedside. The dying 
man took out a key from an inside pocket and 
bade me unlock the chest. The chest was filled 
with various articles, fine clothing of the style of 
forty years ago, books, letters, documents and 
writings. I obeyed the commands of the man 
and handed him the various articles for inspec- 
tion. He ordered all the clothing to the fireplace 
for incineration. Then I picked up a large bun- 
dle of neat, old letters. He took them and long- 
ingly and lovingly looked at them. "From my 
sweetheart, but too late." He turned his face to 
the pillow and wept. "She has been dead forty 
years, just about as long as I have dwelt here." 
He paused, then continued: "My son, these 
must never be read by an unsympathetic world. 
Put them into the fire." I obeyed, much as I 
wanted to know the history of my companion in 
this strange abode. 

The next bunch of letters were from his par- 
ents, brothers and sisters which received about 
the same attention as those from his lady love 
and were consigned to the fire. Various bundles 
of business letters, deeds and documents were 
sent to the fire without emotion. 

At last, I dug up a voluminous manuscript. 
He took it in his hands and in a deep study or 
reverie in which he seemed to be pondering what 
was best to do with it, then turned to me and in a 
solemn mien said: "I have often wondered if 
God ever inspires men to write. I have prayed 
for the truth and have written only what ap- 



CRATER OF GOLD 63 

peared to be the truth, what my inmost conscience 
considers true, although it was often hard to 
find language to convey my meaning. I have 
feared that my advanced thought and dreams 
might have a tendency to unsettle the minds of 
some and fail to carry them to the high plane of 
absolute faith and obedience to law necessary for 
a successful and happy life. Then again such a 
revelation might prove a benefit to the world 
and assist in bringing about much needed reform 
in the present state of society, government and 
religion. I'll turn this manuscript over to you, 
and if ever you think it best for the human race 
to publish it, I am content. Please burn the 
chest and its contents." 

He continued: "Just around the point from 
the spring, you will find a tomb carved out in the 
solid rock, and placed above the opening is a 
stone lid, held up by a trigger where I intended 
to go in time before death to trip the trigger and 
secure a fitting burial without the assistance of 
man. Now that you are here, I trust you to 
place my body away in this tomb, trip the trigger 
and leave my body buried for all time. It were 
better were it cremated, but that will do." 

Much more was said, but I shall not weary the 
reader with further recital. 

The end came peaceably. My strange found 
friend whom I had learned to love — ^nay, worship 
— simply closed his eyes in sleep and never awoke. 
His last words were: "I do not know." 



64 CRATER OF GOLD 

I carried out all his instructions to the letter, 
and left this holy man in his last resting place to 
sleep and be free from all of life's struggles and 
sorrows. May he receive the crown of glory sltA 
his soul be received with glad acclaim in the spirit 
world. I knew this man only as Justice Absolute. 

( Signed ) J. Calvin. 



CRATER OF GOLD 65 



MOUNTAIN LIFE SONG 



Let them live beside the road and see the passers 
by, 

Or live on some busy street and hear the hawker's 
cry. 

Sharing in the joys and aid the sufT'ring of man- 
kind; 

But for me, I v^ish to say I can more pleasure find 

At my mountain home, surrounded by the moun- 
tains grand, 

From the world of trouble and the predatory band, 

Toiling day by day and breathing ozone mountain 
air, 

With no one to bother me, away from fretful care. 

Chorus 

I'm off of the road, I'm out of the way, 

No one passes my place or comes to stay. 

No one enters my house to steal my cash; 

No enemies 'round to give me a smash. 

No land of a neighbor adjoining mine; 

If I kill a deer, no fear of a fine. 
I am free as mountain air, 
Without trouble and no care. 

II 

But, of course, sometimes I'm longing for the busy 

hfe. 
Longing to enjoy the sports and mingle in the 

strife, 

5 



66 CRATER OF GOLD 

Sharing with the poor and toiling for the good of 

man; 
This at times may seem to me to be the wiser plan. 
But experience of many long eventful years 
Taught the less of trouble that you see, the fewer 

tears. 
I'm away from all the world's chicanery and dross. 
In this mountain life, there's compensation for 

each loss. 



THE STRUGGLE 

1913 



CHAPTER I 

Here I am within a walled fortress, surrounded 
by high volcanic walls which form the crater of 
a long extinct volcano. 

I found dwelling, cleared land and irrigation 
ditches, and plenty of water to farm all I need 
awaiting me. From the appearances of crum- 
bling walls and ditches, my benefactors who built 
all of this must have lived here many years ago, 
and some natural catastrophe destroyed them. 

Here alone I have lived since I lost out in 
business and my darling passed to the beyond, 
leaving me hopeless, I wandered off into these 
mountains looking for gold, or anything to get 
away from the maddening crowd and be alone 
with my sorrow. By accident, I climbed up to 
this circular wall and while digging in the debris 
to determine the nature of any minetal that 
might exist in this region, I discovered what ap- 
peared to be a cave, but upon investigation 
proved to be the bed of an ancient stream. Of 
course, I followed it and here I am and expect 
to remain the rest of my life, providing I do not 
change my present way of thinking. Here I 

67 



68 CRATER OF GOLD 

have plenty. The many hot springs and heat in 
the sub-strata keep it warm the year around. 

Why I am scribbhng this down, I do not know, 
but having plenty of time to pass away, I will 
just amuse myself by writing a kind of history 
of my experiences and ideas of human affairs. I 
am now able to take my place in the struggle on 
the outside and might gain success, but what is 
the use, since I am so well contented in seclu- 
sion, where there is plenty, no arguments and no 
intrigue to beat me out of my possessions? I am 
monarch, I am the law and judge in all cases. 
These immense ledges of high grade quartz and 
many little streams filled with free gold are all 
mine now. 

At intervals, I slip out into the surrounding 
towns and get what I need. I view the awful 
struggle that the most of mankind are born to 
carry on all their lives and see the injustice of 
man-made laws and society until at times I feel 
inclined to try to convince the world that there is 
a better way, but recollections of arguments that 
I have had and knowing though you prove any- 
thing beyond a doubt that your proofs are in 
vain deter me. 

Mankind is held down by customs, dogmas and 
old superstition taught them without proofs from 
childhood; forms of government, dress, religion, 
everything so instilled that logic has no chance. 
They cling to a fetish unto death and are ready 
to kill all who oppose their belief. They know 



CRATER OF GOLD 69 

that they are right and so I keep my secret and 
return here, right glad to get out of all this tur- 
moil that is created by a great number of sects 
and systems, each knowing that it is right and 
ever ready to assail any of the others. It should 
not be thus. 

Right glad I am that no one seems to care 
where I came from or where I live, and as I leave 
my tracks well covered, and travel the outside 
trail so little, I feel quite safe here. My burros 
and my dogs are my only friends and they stick 
to me tighter than a brother. Had I any rela- 
tives to share my fortune, it might be different; 
but I w^as the youngest of the family. The others 
have passed to their reward and I am alone in 
the world. Had my lady love lived I might have 
become ambitious to succeed again in the busi- 
ness world ; but now, I am content to live here in 
peace the rest of my days, oblivious to the turmoil 
and struggle without. Peace of mind, close com- 
munion with nature, and constant prayers to the 
Supreme Ruler of the universe for guidance in 
the ways of truth sustain me in my loneliness. 
All this is changing me until I seem to hear the 
still voice of God in my conscience commending 
me for my sincerity and encouraging me to write 
what appears right after due consideration and 
scientific investigation. 



CHAPTER II 

Well, I have plenty of potatoes and other truck 
stored away to last me several months and not 
much to do. Let me see. Yes, I have quite a 
supply of gold and no need of it just now, and 
no necessity for panning more for some time. 
There is plenty in safe keeping in yonder ledges 
and streams ready for me any time. This place 
is worth many billions if put on the market ; but 
I would not know what to do with the money to 
make me as content as I am. Then, I would be 
subject to temptations, might lose it and be 
driven to ruin. No more ambition for me, be- 
sides the production of gold is so great now that 
it is sinking in its purchasing power and causing 
much trouble in the world. High cost of living 
they call it ; but it is the decrease in the value of 
gold on account of the increased supply, and 
laborers not being paid an increased price in pro- 
portion to the decrease of the value of gold, they 
suffer and do not seem to understand what is the 
matter. Now, here is possibly ten times as much 
gold as there is now in circulation in the whole 
world. Were it thrown on the market, its pur- 
chasing power would sink until it would only buy 
one-tenth of what it does now. Then prices 
would be ten times as great paid in gold and the 
poor laborer would be driven to worse despair. 

70 



CRATER OF GOLD 71 

The capitalists move slowly to adjust the price of 
labor to correspond with the fluctuations in the 
prices of gold. 

Man should invent a more stable currency for 
the transaction of business. 

It seems not long ago since the time of my 
childhood. I was born of Christian parents in 
18 — ; well, it was during the nineteenth century; 
I will not give exact dates. What do a few years 
matter? Four thousand years of very unau- 
thentic history is all man has to show for mil- 
lions of years of struggle ever since the first glint 
of reason appeared as one of the properties of the 
human mind. How many millions of years of 
struggle may have passed for the animal that was 
the branch of the animal kingdom from which 
the present man descended is all conjecture. The 
present man had conquered and tamed about all 
the animals that are now domestic animals long 
before we have any written account of man's 
struggles. 

Then, much of so-called history is the recital of 
legends or stories handed down from parents to 
children. All tribes taught this way for ages 
and produced some remarkable men and attempts 
to account for all things. Our few years of his- 
tory is but a flash compared with the lapse of 
time. I care not to try to remember dates. If 
I could take a draught from the waters of the 
River Lethe, my mind would be at ease and no 
notes would be written here. Still, I do not 



72 CRATER OF GOLD 

desire such a fate as total forgetfulness, as this 
remembrance is a sweet sorrow that teaches me 
to look beyond the tomb with hopes that some 
way, I know not how, this life is not the end of 
things for me. This remembrance teaches me 
that, ere long, my turn will come to join that 
"innumerable caravan" to the grave. This re- 
membrance teaches me to submit without fear 
and to have absolute faith in the constancy of 
God and all his laws, satisfied with what is, or 
whatever may be. 

My childhood was spent in pleasant surround- 
ings. I was timid, sympathetic, inquisitive, and 
prone to building air castles. In imagination, 
I arose to the blue sky, walked around on its floor 
and explored the heavens, then climbed on to a 
rainbow and slid down to a great heap of gold. 

I was always in love with some little girl whom 
I expected to marry some time and about whom 
I would plan great things that I would do. In 
this wide awake dreaming, I would go away from 
home, gain great renown and riches and return 
dressed the finest, and my little lady and I would 
marry and be very happy. 

I used to believe in Santa Claus and anxiously 
hang up my socks and wonder how he could get 
down the chimneys, especially all the chimneys 
in the world. 

I often thought it was just too bad that there 
had to be a mean old devil that was liable to 
catch me most any time and wished God would 



CRATER OF GOLD 73 

get him some time and finish him. I wanted 
that old rascal put out of business and often won- 
dered why God, who knew all things and could 
do anything, did not fix him. 

In bed I was subject to dreams and queer sen- 
sations of awful sights of powerful, wild beasts 
or great irresistible machines that seemed to be 
coming right for me and no chance to escape. I 
could lie awake and see visions of beautiful and 
homely women, men, children and animals and 
never accounted for such. I still see such visions 
without knowing why. 

As my childhood passed, I developed into 
being so studious that I worked by lamp light 
or tallow dip long after all the others had re- 
tired, generally not going to bed until 12 o'clock. 
I was a natural mathematician and at the age of 
12 was considered quite a prodigy. 

Along about this time, I was reading a great 
deal and won prizes at Sunday school, for much 
reading of the Bible and committing to memory 
many passages of scripture. The more I read, 
even then, the old stories of the Bible seemed 
hardly the composition of an all-wise God or 
even worthy of respect. It all seemed rather a 
funny business to me and I suspected another 
Santa Claus deceit; still I supposed that old 
people knew a lot and that it was up to me to be 
careful in my opinions. 

My parents did not believe much in child 
church membership, nor in miraculous conversion. 



74 CRATER OF GOLD 

They thought that conversion was just a change 
of mind, a natural change by being convinced as 
to the truth of the gospel, and that faith in good 
works hath power to purify. As the years rolled 
on many revivals were held in our neighborhood 
with many converts who generally back slid ; but 
I never felt the least inclination to join the 
church. 

I wandered away from home at the age of 17 
and at the age of 18 I was teaching school five 
hundred miles away from home. I soon gained 
the reputation of being a successful teacher and 
continued to teach, study and attend school dur- 
ing vacations for a few years. 

At the age of twenty, I became fully convinced 
that the church was not teaching, nor following, 
the teaching of Jesus, and that the Bible was a 
record of old legends, and not the inspired word 
of God. I then felt more humane and was ready 
to forgive all people for their beliefs and actions 
and thought the world needed justice, teaching, 
and. kindness, not punishment and force. My 
ideas were regarded with great displeasure by 
many, and on account of this, I tried other work 
for a few years. 

One day, I received a letter from a friend in- 
forming me that my parents were alone and that 
my mother was in poor health. He said that it 
was strange that some of the boys did not come 
home and take care of them. I took the first 
train for home and shall never forget how glad I 



CRATER OF GOLD 75 

was to go home and how I wept over Mother, 
whom I found bedfast. 

I remained home about three years, taking 
the kindliest care of my mother until she passed 
away, and soon after this, my father died. This 
sad experience had a tendency to quiet my ardor 
in my opposition to old customs, and there was a 
constant demand for me to teach the neighboring 
schools, though it was generally known that I was 
an agnostic. 

So I taught again and during vacations at- 
tended school, taking up higher mathematics and 
the natural sciences. I served as principal of 
schools in small towns without trouble, except 
that the teaching of biological science in the 
higher grades brought out the Evolution theory. 
Now, this theory is taught as true in all biological 
text books, and all colleges in the country. Evo- 
lution was and is as apparent to me as any truth 
ever taught. The opposition to teaching evolu- 
tion involved me in a discussion with one of my 
patrons, a deacon in the church, and before I got 
control of myself, I had given away some of my 
opinions which could do no good and must result 
in injury to my work in the school. 

The deacon said: "You should not teach evo- 
lution. It is contrary to the Bible." 

I said: "I am not teaching the Bible. I am 
teaching scientific truths." 

Deacon : "What refutes the Bible is not truth 
and should not be taught." 



76 CRATER OF GOLD 

I said: "Well, evolution is true, no difference 
what the Bible teaches. Every condition that 
might be imagined to prove evolution, actually 
exists: embryo passes through all stages of ani- 
mal growth; remains of rudimentary organs of 
no more use; change of structure to suit change 
in environment; morphology, or likeness of all 
animal structure; the earth's strata prove that 
there was a gradual growth from the lowest to the 
highest forms of organisms. 

"The earth is a great story book, giving us, as 
we turn its stratum leaves, illuminated pictures 
in bas-relief of the life forms of past ages. What 
a revelation, written by the Finger of Time on the 
Rock of Ages and by the Ink of Death ! Let me 
read some more from your text book." 

Deacon: "Hold on. I'll hear no more of 
this. I'll see to it that you shall not get our 
school again. You do not believe in the Bible." 

I asked: "Do you believe all the Bible — just 
as it reads?" 

Deacon: "I do." 

I asked: "Did you ever read it all?" 

Deacon: "To tell the truth, I have not read 
the Bible much. I'm too busy trying to make a 
living." 

I inquired: "If you have not read the Bible, 
how do you know whether you believe it or not?" 

Deacon: "I know that we must believe the 
Bible — just as it reads. Why, I was never 
taught anything else." 



CRATER OF GOLD 77 

"Well," I said, "I do not teach the children to 
disbelieve the Bible, and while teaching from 
scientific facts, we are not trying to discredit the 
many truths in this collection of old legends." 

Deacon: "I can not argue this matter with 
you, but you are an infidel! that's what you are!" 
"Very well," I said, "I am sorry that you raise 
such an objection to teaching evolution and stir 
up an argument in regard to the Bible, but to 
tell you the truth, I am glad that I am free from 
superstition and not afraid to teach the truth, 
whatever religion it may disprove. It is the truth 
that the expressions, 'in those days,' 'in the days 
of old,' 'even unto this day,' and such like appear 
hundreds of times in the Bible in just the right 
connection to prove that the writers were compil- 
ing old legends." 

Here are some citations for you to look up that 
may cause you to use a little reason : 
4i to 6 — 6 Genesis 
33—26 Genesis 
37 — 19 Genesis 
11 — 3 Deuteronomy 
14 — 14 Joshua 
19 — 15 Judges 
8— 8 Kings I 
13 to 21— 9 Kings I 

7 — 14 Kings II 
22 to 34— 17 Kings II 
6—16 Kings II 
1 to 13 — 1 Isaiah 



78 CRATER OF GOLD 

7 — 11 Genesis 
20 — 35 Genesis 
11— 2 Exodus 
26 — 7 Joshua 

21 — 1 Judges 
18 — 11 Samuel 
19—12 Kings I 
27—10 Kings II 

22— 8 Kings II 
8—22 Kings II 

41 — 4 Chronicles I 

"There are many more in the Old and New 
Testaments ; but these will be sufficient for you to 
look up and see what you think about it." 

Well, they were sufficient to finish me, notwith- 
standing I had many friends. The "We know 
we are right" people had no difficulty in prevent- 
ing the continuance of my work in that school for 
another year. 



Rev. Damon: "Evolution is as true as the eternal rock-ribbed hills." — Page 79 

1 



CHAPTER III 

In this village were a few intimate friends of 
widely different views upon religious and public 
questions. We often met in the studio of the 
Rev. Damon, a liberal Congregationalist minis- 
ter, in friendly discussion of local, national and 
scientific questions. 

There was Archy Umbrage, about thirty years 
old, a college graduate, wealthy and atheistical, 
Mr. Reliance, a progressive theologist, and Mr. 
Wade Insky, a poor, retired old school teacher 
and an ardent socialist. 

Shortly after my tilt with the Deacon, we all 
met at Rev. Damon's studio. After exchanging 
greetings, I said: 

"Rev. Damon, I had a serious argument with 
Deacon Jones yesterday. He objected to my 
teaching Evolution. What do you think about 
this evolution theory?" 

Rev. Damon replied: "Evolution is as true 
as the eternal rock-ribbed hills." He continued: 
"I heard of your trouble with the Deacon. I am 
very sorry about it. He means well, but does 
not know much. True Christianity and evolu- 
tion are in accord. I have to be careful myself, 
and explain the changes as development, and put 
my language in such form as to gradually de- 

79 



80 CRATER OF GOLD 

velop my progression in theology without getting 
into a dispute with any one." 

"Yes," I said, "I have been trying to do that, 
and have succeeded very well for several years, 
but this fellow's eyes flashed so much venom, and 
he was so distasteful in his language and tone of 
voice that I lost control of myself. I was trying 
to convince him, when I ought to know better 
than to argue with such a fellow. It seems that 
one is justifiable in being slightly hypocritical in 
order to get along in this argumentative world. 
Now, I have no particular reason to want to 
change the Deacon and I do not blame him for 
his belief, if he would only tend to his own busi- 
ness and let me alone. It is rather tough to go 
through this life pretending to be what you are 
not." 

Archy Umbrage : "Do not pay any attention 
to the narrow heads. Ever since you refused to 
sing in the choir, they have been trying to find 
fault. The Deacon thinks that the earth is flat, 
but, however ignorant, he can raise some stir 
among his class. It is rather strange that there 
are so many religious beliefs and each claims to 
be right and that all the rest are liars. They are 
all fighting each other, but it seems that all are 
ready to unite to uphold dogmatic teachings in 
preference to logical truth." 

Mr. Reliance: "There are no disagreeable ar- 
guments among real truth seekers who are delv- 
ing into nature to make her give up her secrets 
by scientific research. They all work together 



CRATER OF GOLD 81 

for new discoveries and give the crown of excel- 
lence to him who proves a law." 

Wade Insky: "We all sympathize with and 
xespect Rev. Damon in his patient endeavors 
here to teach true Christianity." 

"From his patient work," I said, "I shall profit 
in some other town where I shall choose with 
care whatever language I may use in conversa- 
tion at all times. As I walked down the street 
today, there was a change in the cordiality of 
church people that passed me. I tried not to 
notice such and talked with the same feeling of 
solicitude for their welfare and the progress of 
the school work, and continued my walk. On 
turning a corner, I ran on to a crowd arguing 
about something, but not another word after my 
appearance. I heard one say, 'Hist! there he is 
now!' Certainly, I knew that my case was being 
threshed out and that it was of such nature that I 
was not to be allowed to suspect nor have a right 
to defend myself." 

Archy U. : "There has been no complaint 
made by the pupils. They all say that the school 
is doing better than ever before. You do not 
need to use corporal punishment; for you have 
the knack of how to get work done and have the 
confidence of the pupils in all you do." 

Mr. Reliance: "My children say that this not 
punishing for poor lessons and trusting the pupils 
in their work, works like a charm here. That 
would not do when I was a boy, I tell you, they 
had to lick us then, or we would not study." 



82 CRATER OF GOLD 

Wade Insky: "My son is doing fine for the 
first time. He used to steal and was a dumb- 
head. The teacher and I took it time about 
keeping his back raw; but it did no good. He 
said that he showed this teacher that he could get 
his lessons, and now he is so bent on getting an 
education that he works by lamp light." 

Archy U. : "To change the subject, Rev. 
Damon, I have quite a list of texts from the 
Bible, something near two thousand, that I have 
picked out and some day I'll hand them to you, if 
you care to see them." 

Rev. Damon: "I have read the Bible thor- 
oughly, have noted the progression there in the 
development of the true teaching of God — from 
no God through idolatry and sacrifices to an 
angry God, to a God of Love. This develop- 
ment still continues in the heart of man. If you 
have any passages of scripture on which you de- 
sire my opinion, bring them around some day. 
It is not likely that we will have a serious dis- 
agreement ; for we grant each the other a right to 
his opinions without ill feeling. We all desire to 
save man from the errors of life, feeling assured 
that such will prepare him for eternity." 

Archy U. : "Chapter 12, Genesis, gives an 
account of how Abraham left his people, who 
were idolators, to start a new nation and teach a 
new religion. He taught the 'Living God,' a 
kind of militia general who led his chosen people 
in wars on all other gods. He was an angry 



CRATER OF GOLD 83 

God who was sure of revenge, and required the 
sacrifice of much life to appease his vengeance." 

Mr. Rehance: "Abraham's God was given 
credit for the origin of all laws by direct revela- 
tion to a very few who took the place of God; 
19:50 Genesis and 14:3 Exodus." 

Wade Insky: "Isaiah 1 to 13, first chapter, 
orders no more sacrifice. God was tired of blood. 
In fact, Isaiah teaches a new law, and tried to 
force it on to the people by threats in the form of 
prophecies. His works form the foundation for 
the story of Jesus as the Savior of mankind and 
the teaching of a God of Love and Forgiveness." 

Archy U. : "This all shows an evolution in 
the opinions of man as fast as he was capable of 
advancing, the teachers being ahead of their time 
and generally giving their lives to cruel deaths at 
the hands of poor fanatics of the old customs 
and faiths. Man is slow to change, holding fast 
to the old until the new is established and becomes 
a stable guidance. This has been the history of 
man's struggles to work out his salvation." 

Mr. Reliance: "In all ages and amongst all 
tribes of man, all could look back to a time when 
their ancestors were of different belief than they 
themselves, and so man has slowly fought his way 
onward and upward. 26 :4 Genesis, 'Then, men 
began to call on the name of the Lord.' No God 
before. 4:6 Genesis, 'The sons of God dwelt with 
the daughters of men and there were giants in 
those days.' 6:6 Genesis, 'God repented that he 



84 CRATER OF GOLD 

made man.' 22 :3 Genesis, 'Man has become as 
one of us ( Gods ) and must not be allowed to eat 
of the tree of life and live forever.' 10 to 12:32 
Exodus, 'Moses argues with an angry God'; 
10:16 Leviticus, a scape goat provided. They 
were always trying to find a way to escape re- 
sponsibility. 20:24 Leviticus, 'An eye for an 
eye, etc' 20 to 38:36 Leviticus, threats. Do 
you think God made any threats? 33:11 Num- 
bers, God got angry. All 12 Deuteronomy, no 
tolerance for other religions. 41:16 chapter, II 
Chronicles, God to get out of the way and let the 
priests have his place. 18:43 Isaiah, 'Remember 
ye not the former things, neither consider the 
things of old.' He was trying to reform them 
and set them free from old tradition. 3:66 
Isaiah, 'He that killeth an ox as if he killed a 
man, he that burns incense as if he blessed an 
idol.' He was repealing old laws. Add to these 
few quotations the Sermon on the Mount as re- 
ported to be the teaching of Jesus and we find a 
gradual change of belief from no God and idol- 
atry through all stages of degraded worship to 
the beautiful doctrines of love and correct 
living." 

Wade Insky: "It appears that Jesus was the 
best Man that ever lived and attempted to teach 
a new doctrine to his people, and that they were 
not advanced sufficiently to receive it without 
adding their old superstitions. He well knew 
how they were blinded by old forms of worship 
and were not responsible for their bloody acts and 



CRATER OF GOLD 85 

so he said : Tather, forgive them. They know 
not what they do.' " 

Mr. Rehance : "If Jesus were God, of course, 
he could do this, but that would not give me 
power to do likewise, being only a poor helpless 
man. If he were a man and could teach so nobly 
and bless those who were agonizing him, that 
gives me great hopes, then, that I may be able 
to do a great service for man." 

Archy U. : "It seems that a hundred years 
after the death of Jesus there were but a few 
Christians, and they were living a socialistic life 
in accordance to the teaching that had been 
handed down to them by verbal report of one to 
another, and they deified Jesus and proceeded to 
write up his teachings on that basis. They, no 
doubt, were sincere; but all they had to work 
from was legends in regard to what Jesus might 
have taught and done which naturally grew in 
wonder with age and repetition and were so 
recorded." 

Wade Insky: "In my study of various 
legendary writings which were origins of re- 
ligions, I have noted that nearly all have made 
the mistake of claiming to be the only true revela- 
tion and condemning all others. This has led to 
wars, persecutions and cruel crucifixions in the 
name of God, but God was not there in such 
work. It seems even now, that there are ten 
crimes committed in the name of God and man- 
made law to one crime through perverted intel- 
lect. Why should man be driven to despair for 



86 CRATER OF GOLD 

teaching proven truth? Has it been necessary 
that milhons of people should have suffered ig- 
nominious death in order that the truth might 
prevail? Or has such retarded the advance of 
man and prevented the discovery of the truth? 
We have had only a few years of comparative 
freedom and the human race is advancing in all 
lines in a geometrical progression." 

Mr. Reliance: "It is plain to me that there is 
a retarding force in the world yet that only ages 
can remove." 

I said: "Rev. Damon's course appears the 
most logical. He stands on the old foundation 
to teach a liberal application and it appears to 
be in line with the method used by the Great 
Teacher." 

Rev. Damon: "I am much entertained by this 
discussion, and as I discover the foundation on 
which you gentlemen build your structures, I 
may be able to point out a few of the weak places 
in your reasoning. You gentlemen are all 
students of sociology." 

Mr. Reliance: "Well, Rev. Damon, there are 
none of us too old to learn and I must say, I 
enjoy a friendly exchange of views like this. If 
I remember right, Brahma as God was made to 
say 'All who worship me, all who worship other 
Gods, all the good people of the earth worship 
me the only God.' If all religions had said that, 
and worked together and compared their funda- 
mental laws of duty of man to man, what awful 



CRATER OF GOLD 87 

wars, hatreds and cruelties might have been 
omitted from the world's history." 

I said : "Some think the world is saved by faith 
in unproven dogmas and refuse to listen to any- 
thing to the contrary. Others believe that only 
a few truths have been established and there re- 
mains a great field for investigation and that the 
*old must pass away and everything become new.' 
Unless one can be led to doubt his present belief, 
he cannot be led to accept another. Therefore, 
it would appear that doubt has had as much to 
do in the advance of man as faith. We must 
learn to doubt error when the proofs are con- 
clusive, and have absolute faith in proven truth." 

Rev. Damon: "Doubt has led to investigation 
and investigation has proven laws and made dis- 
coveries that disprove many of the old ideas and 
consequently we build a new and a better way 
of thinking. The truth is slowly dawning on the 
human mind, but remember the truth is and al- 
ways has been the truth, regardless of what you 
or anyone may believe. A truth is worth knowing, 
since every truth contains the germ of good." 

Archy U.: "It is an acknowledged truth at 
the present day that all natural phenomena result 
from the action of unchangeable, immutable 
and inexorable laws. That there is a natural 
cause for whatever happens and the foundation 
of all facts and science is: * Whatever happens, 
always did happen and always will happen, con- 
ditions being the same.' This sweeps away the 



88 



CRATER OF GOLD 



fables and legends of the past, and we must 
adjust ourselves to natural and rational law." 

Mr. Reliance : ''This proves that God is a con- 
stant force or spirit, never changes, never gets 
angry, never forgets and must be obeyed, or pun- 
ishment is seen in loss of health or degradation 
of character and soul." 

Wade Insky: "This points to a new heaven 
and a new earth, where love and labor constitute 
the Divinity that leads us on to a universal peace 
among mankind in which every one shall receive 
credit in proportion to what he produces. It 
creates that charity in the heart that surpasseth 
understanding; for it shows us that every human 
being is what he is from outside causes and that 
he cannot change himself. He must be changed 
by outside forces, or teaching. If one has not 
eyes to see nor understanding wherewith to com- 
prehend, he must remain the same, or lose even 
what little he has and plod along in his misery." 

Archy U. : "Rev. Damon, here is a small list 
of citations. Will you explain them to me some 
time? 



Verse 


Chap. 


Book 


Verse 


Chap. 


Book 


14 


3 


Genesis 


all 


/■4 


Numbers 


27 


5 


Genesis 


10-11 


32 


Numbers 


all 


7 


Genesis 


all 


21 


Deut. 


all 


32 


Genesis 


all 


6 


Joshua 


all 


40 


Genesis 


13 


10 


Joshua 


16 


4 


Exodus 


all 


17 


I Samuel 


3 


15 


Exodus 


all 


14 


I Samuel 


3 


23 


Exodus 


12 


13 


II Samuel 


15 


31 


Exodus 


all 


15 


II Samuel 


all 


13 


Leviticus 


22 to34 


2 


I Kings 


30 


32 


Leviticus 


24 


13 


I Kings 



CRATER OF GOLD 



89 



Verse 


Chap. 


Book 


Verse 


Chap. 


Book 


12 


19 


I Kings 


all 


21 


Leviticus 


11 


2 


II Kings 


all 


31 


Numbers 


6 


6 


II Kings 


12 


17 


Deut. 


16 


15 


II Kings 


all 


23 


Deut. 


15 


21 


II Kings 


7 


7 


Joshua 


41 


6 


II Chron. 


all 


16 


Judges 


12 


16 


II Chron. 


all 


9 


I Samuel 


10 


22 


II Chron. 


all 


11 


II Samuel 


18 


24 


II Chron. 


all 


14 


II Samuel 


4 


34 


II Chron. 


2 


1 


I Kings 


3 to 14 


10 


Ezra 


12 


8 


I Kings 


25 


13 


Nehemiah 


10 


14 


I Kings 


12 


2 


Esther 


13 


21 


I Kings 


10 


4 


Jeremiah 


24 


2 


II Kings 


25 


10 


Jeremiah 


25 


10 


II Kings 


7 


11 


Isaiah 


lto29 


6 


II Kings 


31 


3 


Judges 


29 


9 


II Chron. 


15 


4 


Genesis 


13 


15 


II Chron. 


6 


6 


Genesis 


4 


21 


II Chron. 


all 


8 


Genesis 


15 


23 


II Chron. 


all 


33&38 


Genesis 


21 


25 


II Chron. 


16 


1 


Exodus 


15 


7 


Ezra 


13&21 


13 


Exodus 


12 


8 


Nehemiah 


28 


22 


Exodus 


22 


1 


Esther 


20 


29 


Exodus 


all 


1 


Isaiah 


11 


32 


Exodus 


8 to 21 


5 


Jeremiah 


all 


12 


Leviticus 


14 


14 


Jeremiah 


6 


19 


Leviticus 


all 


45 


Isaiah 



"All of Jonah shows an angry God repenting 
and Jonah displeased presumes to argue the case. 

"All of Job is a good story. Satan here is a 
servant of God, which is much more reasonable. 
Job saw God in everything. No one knows where 
this book came from. Eighth verse, chapter 22, 
II Kings and verse 14, chapter 34, II Chronicles, 
each tell how Hilkiah found the book of Moses 
that possibly Hilkiah himself had written. Up to 
this time, they had no written book, according to 
that. How could Moses write a thousand years 
before the alphabet was invented? 









{Ayi/<.-t^i^JU^ 






t<.,<*,<X»<.-A- 



Drawing found among the Crater of Gold manuscript. 



CRATER OF GOLD 91 

Rev. Damon's Reverie 

In my imagination, I thought of all our ideas 
as birds caught in cages. I examined my cage 
and found that I had hope, charity, faith, im- 
mortality, love, and so on; but I could not find 
the bird, "Truth." I became restless. I wanted 
the bird "Truth" in my cage. So I took my rifle 
and canoe and rowed around on a large river 
hunting for the bird that would satisfy my long- 
ings. 

At evenings, I could see that my relatives and 
neighbors were wondering what was wrong with 
me. They began to chide me for a crank on the 
road to ruin. They feared that some devil was 
deranging my mind. 

One day, while rowing down the great river, 
I was hailed by a very old man with a scythe 
thrown across his shoulders. "Young man, what 
seekest thou?" I told him that I was hunting 
for the bird "Truth," and unless I could find it, 
I could not be content. 

He said: "I fear you are looking for what 
you can never find. What birds have you in 
your cage now?" 

I told him the various birds. "Well," he said, 
"you will have to turn loose that beautiful bird 
'Immortality' before you can have room for 
* Truth' in your cage. The bird 'Truth' is hard 
to catch. You had better hunt for easier caught 
game." 



92 CRATER OF GOLD 

I returned home sad and discouraged, but 
something made me willing to sacrifice anything 
to get the bird "Truth." So I sadly let the bird 
"Immortality" out on my hand. So beautiful it 
looked as I stroked its shining feathers and 
mourned its loss. It arose and flew away. 

This act put me out of the quiet neighborhood, 
and I plunged into a wilderness. I followed a 
beaten path, but at every turn on all sides and 
all around me were the bones and dead bodies and 
dying of millions who had gone before me. I 
would not yield and so I plod on. Many times 
in despair, I lay down and tried to die ; but after 
years of weary travel in gloom, I saw a light 
ahead, a clearing came in sight. I entered the 
clearing and there was a great chasm to cross, 
no end either way by which I could go around it. 
I caught a glimpse of the bird "Truth" on the 
other side of this chasm. I must get it! How 
will I cross ? The banks are steep and no bottom 
can be seen. 

Just then I discovered a narrow bridge, and 
behold! this bridge was composed of the bodies 
of those who had preceded me, no doubt in the 
same quest. I fell upon my knees and prayed: 
"O God, must I die here to help finish this bridge, 
or shall I go back?" The answer came: "Go 
ahead, what man has set out to do, let him go on 
and do it without turning back. Do your work 
and your reward is sure." 

I tremblingly stepped out on the narrow bridge 



CRATER OF GOLD 93 

and found that it might be possible to cross over. 
I worked my way slowly, being careful not to 
slip and fall into the yawning abyss. At last, I 
reached the farther side in safety. There I found 
others ahead of me, some content where they were 
and others striving to reach higher land. I 
climbed on until I reached the level plain above 
me. I found a plain road, corners staked out 
and well established, making it easy traveling for 
some distance. As I observed that the road is 
permanent and all guide posts are proven correct, 
I thought surely I will find that bird yet ; but as 
I moved farther on, the road became dim and 
darkness came upon the view ahead. 

I trudged on until I reached a solid wall 
higher than man can calculate. I leaned against 
this wall and cried aloud, but there was no an- 
swer. At my feet there dropped one feather 
from the bird "Truth," and that was all I had 
to show for my great labor. 

I returned to my people with this one feather, 
but fully convinced that it is not for man to find 
the whole truth. 

"Well," said the Rev. Damon, "I suppose you 
get the idea ? Father Time on the River of Life 
through our reasoning is driving the hope of im- 
mortality away from men ; but depths of philoso- 
phy brings one back again to a hope for eternal 
life, and ready to accept the faith with love for 
all and no censure for any one in whatever state 
of mind he may be. 



94 CRATER OF GOLD 

"Every problem we solve always falls short of 
the first great cause. We explain scientifically 
and it sounds good, so far as it goes; but we 
always end at the stone wall. 

"We look into space and our finite minds say 
there is an out edge somewhere, but still we 
know there can be no out edge to space. For 
what would come next? In the same way, we 
reason that there could not have been a beginning 
of material, though our finite minds think there 
must have been. Every question is the same. 
They reach conclusions which our minds say are 
impossible but must be true. Then, as our minds 
say that immortality is impossible, why not finish 
by the same conclusion but 'must be true.' 

"In that wilderness, men are without hope or 
guide, and they are an easy prey for all dens of 
vice and few ever gain the high plain across the 
great chasm which separates the old superstitious 
reasoning from the new reasoning that there is a 
natural cause for everything, and that the uni- 
verse moves in accordance with constant and 
unchangeable laws. Science is proving its way 
as far as it goes, and by hypotheses and theories, 
it looks far into the unknown. 

"There is no argument in regard to proven 
laws, and there is a friendly rivalry in trying to 
prove more. The greatest credit is given to him 
who does most to clear the way. Who knows 
what developments in the understanding of man 
through inventions and experiments may yet be 



CRATER OF GOLD 95 

accomplished? Who knows but what a sixth or 
seventh sense may come through evolution that 
will open to the mind of man an understanding 
of the First Great Cause?" 

I said : "I like your reasoning and I am con- 
vinced, and henceforth I shall hope for eternal 
life and so live that I may be worthy. I intend 
to study to discover the natural laws of spiritual 
and physical growth and obey them." 

"Join the church," Rev. Damon replied, "get 
the school again and we will work hand in hand 
for the upbuilding of tolerance and substitute 
faith, hope, and charity for bigotry." 

"I would like to do so," I said, "but so much 
abuse has been heaped upon my head by poor, 
ignorant, intolerant, superstitious church bigots 
that it has soured me on all the old churches, and 
I fear I would feel like a hypocrite. We seem 
to agree quite well. We do not blame each other 
for any difference in opinions. We recognize 
the fact that in regard to the Unknown, there are 
about as many different opinions as there are 
thinkers in the world. 

"A line without an end is beyond the grasp of 
the human mind. The greatest and strongest 
mind in existence is only putty and straw in the 
throes of the awful thought, * Infinity.' We see 
and know so much and yet are so helpless and 
are filled with such a fear of the unknown that 
we can hardly prevent ourselves from falling 
down and accepting some assumed revelation. 



96 CRATER OF GOLD 

Let some one come with much pomp and circum- 
stance and declare a revelation, or let something 
be dug up that appears musty with age but 
asserts a sure thing, poor man grasps on to it 
with hope like a drowning man clings to anything 
within his reach. 

"Life is so short and death is so terrible and 
there are so many cruel separations that poor, 
helpless man is led to believe anything that prom- 
ises consolation. 

"I have a sure faith in the constancy of God, 
and that all laws of physical and spiritual growth 
are natural laws and that they are the laws of the 
Supreme Ruler of all and that these laws are 
inexorable and must be obeyed. 

"It seems that all living creatures have the 
right to life as long as life for them is possible, 
and that the microbes that threaten our lives 
have as much right to live as we. If we would 
save our lives, we must learn how to cure diseases 
and kill the microbes. When we meet the savage 
beast in animal or man, God comes not to the 
deliverance of either, but lets us defend ourselves. 
The supremacy of the law prevails regardless of 
what life may end." 

Archy U. : "The laws of kinetic motion and 
gravitation are never changed to cause the rou- 
lette wheel to turn in favor of any one." 

Mr. Reliance: "We can safely lie down to 
sleep with absolute faith that God will play no 
tricks, and providing that there is no cause for 



CRATER OF GOLD 97 

death, we will be alive in the morning. We 
should keep watch of our health conditions and 
secure the best of treatment to prolong our lives. 
If we desire spiritual growth in right and justice, 
we must always do right. 

"If we have done wrong and injured ourselves 
or others, there is no escape except by turning 
to the right and do the wrong no more, and then 
the injured part will be restored and the wrong 
pass away. 

"If we have sinned so much that we have 
nearly destroyed ourselves, then no restoration 
can take place. We have committed the unpar- 
donable sin and are lost. Faith will save if we 
follow up with deeds, but faith without quitting 
the sin is of no avail. 

"The wicked destroy themselves by their dis- 
obedience of the laws of their creation. God 
directly punishes no one." 

Wade Insky: "We must work out our own 
salvation in fear of doing wrong and should ever 
be on the lookout for what is right. The organs 
or faculties that are used develop and unused 
organs or faculties lie dormant. If one lies, in 
time he will become a natural liar; but if he 
would quit lying before it is everlastingly too 
late and tell the truth on all occasions, he will 
become naturally truthful." 

Archy U. : "Here, then, comes a knotty 
problem. If he is a liar and can not change 
himself, is he to blame? Is any one to blame for 



98 CRATER OF GOLD 

what he does? We inherited our minds and 
found our environments here which made us what 
we are. No one ever does anything that the act 
is not in obedience to a decision of his mind. His 
mind is the result of causes for which he surelv 
is not accountable. It would seem that a person 
is no more to blame for his character than a snake 
is to blame for being a snake. Surely the child 
of the idolator is not to blame for worshiping 
idols, nor can a Jew be blamed for being a Jew. 
Then what must be the conclusion?" 

Wade Insky: "There is but one conclusion 
that I can see, and that is : mankind is given full 
control of their own affairs. The battle for an 
understanding must still continue until the world 
is so unified by scientific research and liberality 
that all unite in peace to produce that kind of 
government and teaching that will result in con- 
ditions of justice and faith that will remove all 
causes that now prevail to pervert the human 
intellect, or cause unbearable conditions for those 
who labor. 

"We must learn to look for the causes and then 
the remedy is easy. When the causes are 
removed, their effects will vanish. 

"A poor man who can not find work and steals 
to supply his wants or to feed a starving family 
is not to blame, or at least should not be held as 
guilty as one who steals as a business. So much 
injustice in the name of the law and the Lord is 
now practiced that the great majority are losing 



CRATER OF GOLD 99 

faith in the law and the Lord. This is a sad 
thing to contemplate and cries aloud for a 
remedy. 

"Man must have a chance to work, or he 
should not be held guilty. We must also be tol- 
erant with the vices of man, and instead of con- 
demning the victim, find the cause and remove 
that. 

"No one should be put anywhere for punish- 
ment, but should be detained for treatment for 
perverted intellect." 

Rev. Damon: "Long experience in teaching 
proved to me that children are naturally good. 
Those who were pronounced bad were made so 
by their surroundings. I have found the worst 
children anxious to do right when treated fair 
and trusted, and they did not resent correction 
when they were guilty of misconduct. 

"I have always found that punishment in 
homeopathic doses and reasoning had better effect 
than brutal whipping." 

I said: "I do not punish for poor lessons. 
Sometimes work as hard as he can, the lesson is 
too much for the child and then to punish only 
stirs up resentment and a determination not to 
try. Require a thorough recitation, praise good 
work, and sympathize with and help those who 
fail. Admit that possibly the lesson was too 
much in such a way that the child's feelings will 
not be hurt. The child having another chance 
will soon stir up a desire to make a better show 



100 CRATER OF GOLD 

and ere you are aware, the dull pupil may be at 
the head of the class. They may not be dull 
heads, but mismanaged human beings. We must 
create willing work to succeed. They say that a 
good teacher should know more than he has to 
teach, but I say, that a good teacher can teach 
more than he knows. The human animal of all 
ages needs teaching and kindness and not force 
and punishment." 

Archy U. : "There are exceptions to all rules, 
and so there may be to this rule ; but it is best to 
be sure you have found an exception before you 
resort to drastic methods. There are cases when 
a good, sound trouncing brings a child or grown 
person or a nation to a sense of his or its mean- 
ness and has the right effect. 

"Court fines for petty offenses are at present 
unreasonable. Men are often fined so heavily 
for what is hardly a misdemeanor that they are 
unable to pay and must serve time in jail, or on 
the rock pile. They are injured in character and 
lose their respect for law. They become more 
liable to commit violations of law than had the 
fine been light, one to five dollars, which can be 
paid and men walk out free with respect for 
themselves and ready to obey the law; they 
become honest citizens." 

Mr. Reliance: "This soaking some one as an 
example and driving a fellow being to despera- 
tion to save others has an evil appearance to me. 
There are too many narrow blue laws that make 



CRATER OF GOLD 101 

crimes out of many things that fair minded citi- 
zens are guilty of doing. They work only as a 
means for spite, or graft. Most of those who 
are doing these things will continue and never 
be molested. Such laws just enable officers to 
collect graft, or give some one a chance to work 
revenge. 

"I have known a lot of poor people who were 
fined unmercifully for smoking cigarettes, but 
when a rich man carried his case to the Supreme 
Court of the State and the law was declared 
unconstitutional, those wrongly collected fines 
were never returned." 

Wade Insky : "I know of a case where a very 
good citizen, generally speaking, thought that he 
had paid for protection for some gambling games, 
but an officer who feared that he was getting the 
worst of it in the division of the graft made a 
raid and scooped up a bunch of fair minded 
young men who were playing the games and 
doing no more crime than any business man is 
doing under the present system. 

"These young men just happened to get 
caught. There were hundreds all around the 
town who were not there that evening and were 
not caught. Well, they made an example, they 
call it, of these few fellows and fined them each 
two hundred dollars. They could not pay, so 
they went to the rock pile for about two months. 

"Is that the way to reform man? The judge 
was an old poker player. I contend that what is 



102 CRATER OF GOLD 

not right is not law, though so declared by the 
legislature and made a part of the statute. Only 
that which is upheld by most of the people with- 
out any considerable opposition is law, otherwise 
the question remains an issue of the day. Because 
the legislature declares that black is white does 
not make it so. 

"Let juries have a right to vary from the 
statute in order to render justice in accordance 
with the conditions and circumstances surround- 
ing the case and that which is enforced by the 
people becomes law." 

Archy U.: "Under the present system of 
electing legislators, faddists, fanatics, grafters, 
and trust representatives are all there and they 
swap votes, buy, and hobnob with each other in 
order to pass their particular fad, blue law, or 
trust benefit, and so the whole bunch succeed in 
getting their respective ideas into the statute to 
harrass a long suffering people. 

"Representative law making has proven a fail- 
ure, and has deprived the people of their right to 
rule, or make any changes in their fundamental 
law. It gives the people no chance to say what 
shall be law unless they refuse to enforce any law 
that is obnoxious." 

Wade Insky : "Let each political party select 
a few men to prepare their proposals of consti- 
tution and laws, and then, at a general election, 
let the people decide which system shall be 
accepted. Then the government would be pro- 



CRATER OF GOLD 103 

gressive, more reliable and less expensive than 
having a great mob of legislators assuming that 
they are the government. 

"This would put the best minds to work to 
originate the most just government under the 
sun, and would result in acquiescence and con- 
tent of the people, as they would hold in their 
votes the chance to change at any election. Then, 
instead of law being the result of intrigue, every 
law would be an edict from the people and would 
necessarily bear the ear-marks of liberality and 
justice. 

"The pernicious activity of combined capital- 
ists, meddling fanatics and narrow-heads of all 
kinds has shown conclusively that representative 
law making is a joke. 

"The time has come to institute such form of 
government as will restore to the people the right 
to say what shall be law." 

Archy U. : "It is best to bear with ills before 
changing to an unknown, but long suffering has 
convinced us that there is a better way to secure 
justice to mankind than now exists. It is up to 
us to invent a new system and study until we are 
sure that it will work; then we need not fear to 
progress. 

"Machinery is improved all the time until we 
wonder how people used to get along; but our 
constitution with all its faults remains unchanged. 
The people want many amendments, but their 
representatives say no. They stand in the way. 



104 CRATER OF GOLD 

They represent their masters, the entrenched 
beneficiaries of a pernicious system of govern- 
ment." 

Rev. Damon: "I admit that what you gentle- 
men say is very close to the truth; but I belong 
to the conservative element that believes in no 
haste, and to hold tight to our present liberties 
and very carefully work out reforms. We had 
better suffer our present ills rather than be too 
hasty and perchance blunder into a more deplor- 
able state of affairs." 

I said: "Yes, we should take time and study 
well the various reforms proposed and also keep 
in mind a due regard for all interests and invest- 
ments. A reform that would discontinue any 
business should either give ample time for read- 
justment or recompense the losers." 

Wade Insky: "Politics is the science of gov- 
ernment and it should be a question of what pol- 
icy is most rational and just; but now it is a 
question of graft and exploitation. The votes 
are carried by the 'times' without any reasoning 
on whys." 

Archy U. : "Many church people see but one 
side of a question and are more liable to error 
in their votes than any other class of citizens, nor 
are they any more honest. Possibly they think 
that by a little prayer they are washed white." 

Rev. Damon: "You should not blame the 
church for the action of some of its members. 
No doubt, many unworthy people are wearing 



CRATER OF GOLD 105 

the cloak of the church for their personal benefit." 
Archy U. : *'Your exception is well taken. 
Still many church people misunderstand the par- 
don of sin. They feel free to do wrong and then 
get pardoned and have no fear as to their stand- 
ing with their Creator. They do not understand 
that there is no forgiveness unless there is a cessa- 
tion in the wrong doing, that the law of their 
creation only cures when the right road is 
traveled and the wrong road is forsaken." 

Wade Insky: "That makes me think of a 
story." 

Stoey 

A missionary with quite a caravan was explor- 
ing a wild part of Africa. They came to a 
place where they wanted to make a trip to a 
town off the main road about fifty miles. The 
missionary asked the native guide if there was 
any place where they could hide their stuff until 
their return to the main road. The guide said: 
"Leave it all right here beside the road." The 
missionary asked: "Won't some one steal it 
while we are gone." "Oh, no!" said the guide, 
"there is not a Christian within five hundred miles 
of here." 

Rev. Damon: "Well, that is a pretty good 
joke. It is sad to think how near it fits the 
actions of many so-called Christians." 

I said: "They say that the native negroes do 
not steal and that they leave their wares in 



106 CRATER OF GOLD 

baskets with prices marked and go abous their 
business, and if any one takes the goods, the price 
is left in the basket. You see our colored popu- 
lation have learned their tricks from.us." 

Archy U. : "Human beings are in such dread 
of unseen forces that their reason gives away and 
they accept anything without thinking of the 
absurdity. If they would take a good square 
look at many of the ideas upheld by their creeds, 
they might be like the Indian convert, who, when 
asked: *Do you believe that Jesus Christ was 
the son of God, born of the virgin Mary, was 
crucified and died, but arose the third day to life, 
was transfigured and ascended to heaven?' 
replied, 'Yes, sir.' 'Do you believe that the whale 
swallowed Jonah, held him in his belly three days 
and then spewed him out onto dry land?' 'Yes, 
sir,' replied the Indian. 

" 'Do you believe that Moses smote the waters 
of the Red Sea and that the waters gave way 
and Moses and his army crossed on dry land?' 

" 'Yes, sir,' said the Indian. 

" 'Do you believe that Samson was so strong 
that he upset a large building and destroyed ten 
thousand lives ?' 

" 'Yes, sir,' said the Indian. 

" 'Do you believe that the Hebrew children 
were thrown into a fiery furnace and that they 
walked around in the fire without being burned?' 

" 'What is that? In hot fire and no burn 'em?' 
asked the Indian. 



CRATER OF GOLD 107 



<C (I 

cc c- 



That is right. It did not burn them.' 
'No singe 'em hair?' asked the Indian. 

" *No, did not singe their hair nor burn them 
at all.' 

" *Well/ said the Indian, 'I don't believe that, 
and come to think about it, I don't believe that 
other stuff either.' " 

This was going too strong, but the Rev. Damon 
was kind and patient. 

Rev. Damon: "Your ideas call me back to 
my suffering in the same way as you are now, and 
there was no escape but to trust in God like a 
little child and ask for mercy, cease my reasoning 
and cling to the name of Jesus for salvation. It 
makes me happier, more contented and ready to 
abide by the law of God. I have seen that to 
bring these questions into the light of logic is 
too liable to drive many into atheism, who are 
not able to reason to a higher plane and a better 
understanding; but are tempest tossed on rough 
seas, without rudder or compass and subject to 
all kinds of heathenish vagaries. 

"So for me, I will never again suggest any 
doubt of the truth of these old stories, not that 
I have no doubt, but for fear of the injury that I 
may do by causing others to forsake the great 
central truth of the love of the Deity. 

"Believing that it is best to hope for all things, 
believe all we can and live God-fearing lives, I 
am content to go on in my chosen work and give 
my life for the uplift of man." 



108 CRATER OF GOLD 

Mr. Reliance: "Jesus more nearly represents 
our ideas of the Deity than any one that ever 
lived. He was so pure, just and forgiving that 
he appeals to the heart of man as no other can." 

Archy U. : "When a thing is proven false by 
the absolue laws of all things, it is about time 
to sav so. The truth is the truth and will alwavs 
remain the truth notwithstanding what any one 
may think. As for me, I am for the truth at 
whatever cost. The truth will work out the ends 
of justice and tend to the advance of man. Every 
advance of man has been made by great loss of 
life and comfort of those who were the advanced 
teachers in opposition to the old erroneous sys- 
tems, but no one will now deny but what mankind 
was benefited. The same persecutions of ad- 
vanced teachers will continue until superstition 
will have no place in our teaching and all will 
agree on established laws." 

Mr. Reliance: "All arguments then will be 
friendly and without malice, just as Jesus in- 
tended. Then, some of Isaiah's prophecies may 
come true when wars will be no more and peace 
and good will exist everywhere. 

"I have prayed for an understanding and the 
question, 'Had I a right to think or use my judg- 
ment?' to my peace of mind was answered, 'You 
have the right to reason on all things, question all 
systems, produce and teach new systems and rea- 
son on the First Cause of All and the nature of 
all things, and let your imagination carry you to 



CRATER OF GOLD 109 

the uttermost bounds of all of human under- 
standing; but beware that you obey the laws that 
produced your existence, and do no act that will 
prevert your physical or spiritual growth." 

"So I hitched my imagination to a comet and 
took a long trip through many solar systems. 
Far out into space I wandered, but never found 
an out edge. Infinity can not be fathomed by 
finite mind. Only infinite wisdom can under- 
stand and that no man ever possessed." 

Archy U.: "Everything has existed forever 
and all is kept in motion by resident forces evolv- 
ing all things that exist, grow old and die to give 
place for the new life and systems. The sun, 
himself, must grow dim with age, the earth be- 
come a dead planet and life forms will degen- 
erate to suit new conditions, so that, in time, the 
last representative of man to view the sun will 
be a worm." 

Wade Insky: "The scientific proven laws of 
attraction aided by mathematical calculations 
have enabled man to measure the distance to other 
planets and compute their size, orbits, velocity, 
and density. Indeed, man has done wonders, but 
he can not answer why matter possesses these resi- 
dent forces. Why is attraction? No one knows. 
Why is thought or memory? No one knows. 
We just learn how things do and what things do, 
but we know not why. 

"We experiment until we are able to establish 
laws in regard to action and reaction, valency of 



110 CRATER OF GOLD 

atoms and their combination into molecules, and 
can determine mathematically the resultants of 
reactions. We establish laws of vibrations, ex- 
plaining the cause of light, sound, heat and elec- 
tricity. We harness and utilize unseen forces, 
vibration of some kind, and lo! a wonder. We 
are now ready to believe, 'that the half has never 
been told.' 

"We know not why these things exist, nor why 
they produce such effects, but the results are so 
constant that we have learned to have absolute 
faith in the constancy of nature and all things. 

"We believe that action and reaction are equal 
and that nothing can ever be lost in the change of 
form, nothing has ever been added or taken away. 
So, man can not add to nor subtract from the 
law. 

"Thus being convinced that resident forces are 
constantly working a change in all things, it is 
to be supposed that man will advance to new 
systems of religion and government. New con- 
stitutions and man-made laws will be promul- 
gated that will serve man better in his changing 
environments. 

"It is our duty to bring to pass that kind of 
control that will best safeguard the weak against 
the strong and cunning, and produce conditions 
that will guarantee to every one a living, and a 
chance to work and receive the product of his 
labor." 

Mr. Reliance: "The intent of the new sys- 



CRATER OF GOLD 111 

tern should be to remove the causes that lead to 
unnatural desires, practices, or habits and take 
care of the victims. No punishment for revenge 
but detention for treatment and teaching. Such 
a system of justice, tempered with mercy and 
kindness, will remove from this planet nine-tenths 
of so-called crimes." 

Archy U. : "This might be done, but not till 
people are advanced to an understanding of the 
remedy. The remedy must be worked out into 
such tangible form as to guarantee a stable gov- 
ernment and also appeal to us as devoid of favor- 
itism." 

Wade Insky: "The environments of past 
ages and at the present time, under cruel capital- 
istic and despotic systems, have so perverted the 
human intellect that the task of reformation is a 
gigantic undertaking and ages may be required 
for its accomplishment." 

Mr. Reliance: "The change is constantly 
taking place, the forces are at work, the dawn of 
a better day appears on the horizon, and love 
and justice sustained by absolute faith will yet 
rule the world." 

I said: "Whether to prove all we can and 
give logic full sway until we prove that all laws 
are constant and that there is a natural cause for 
whatever happens, or to accept some assumed 
revelation as a sure thing and deprive ourselves 
of the right to think anything to the contrary, is 
the question that is now agitating the human 
mind." 



112 CRATER OF GOLD 

Archy U. : "Science has advanced to that 
perfection that it is impossible to dispute her 
proofs. If the revelation contradicts scientific 
proofs, the revelation is false. The revelator 
went wrong, but may have been doing the best 
that he could in the light of his knowledge to 
record the laws of Omnipotence and may deserve 
great credit for leading the human animal to a 
better worship. 

"Science does not teach a spiritual life after 
death so that we will know each other. That 
can not be proven." 

Rev. Damon: "We live in our descendants, 
but that does not satisfy the mind. We can con- 
ceive that our influence continues ever increasing 
either for the betterment or the detriment of suc- 
ceeding ages. It is reasonable to suppose that 
thousands of millions yet to come will be affected 
by our influence, though they will know nothing 
about whence it came, just as we are the results 
of the influences of the past. We know not how 
the influence that gave us a certain trait of char- 
acter was set to work in this world millions of 
years ago by the act of some one who succeeded 
in impressing our poor old ancestors with a new 
idea. 

"It would seem best to admit that we do not 
know, but that we hope for eternal life and take 
pleasure in love and charity for our fellow man, 
resting sure that we then best serve God." 

I said: "Let us all proclaim an amnesty for 



CRATER OF GOLD 113 

all who disagree with us and call for terms of 
perpetual peace. Let the spirit of charity and 
justice make us here resolve never to continue to 
argue any question with any one whose beliefs 
are such that our argument is distasteful, but on 
the contrary teach love, forgiveness and justice in 
such a way as not to aggravate any one, but lead 
to peace and good will." 

Wade Insky: "A difference of opinion on 
unknown questions does no good unless it be a 
friendly expression of hypotheses. Our opinion 
without proofs has no value. Our example 
teaches better than foolish argument, and logic 
will be the force that will gradually force a 
change in those who have ears to hear and not be 
wasted in stirring up strife with those whose ears 
are stopped up with a creed that prevents their 
advance to New Thought. They are not to 
blame and may be better off in their belief. 

"It is hard to teach old dogs new tricks. The 
dope fiend longs for more of the same old dope. 
Habits of belief are like all habits — ^hard to quit." 

Archy U. : "Since man learned to write some 
three thousand years ago, he has advanced at 
rapid rate. He has written many old legends, 
he has kept a kind of an account of man's advance 
since in literature and inventions, but only a few 
hundred years has man had the printing press 
which gave the masses a chance to study and 
think for themselves; but just to think that only 
the last one hundred years has man been allowed 



114 CRATER OF GOLD 

to express a new thought without danger of se- 
vere punishment or death, and he is in some 
danger yet for advancing changes in rehgion or 
government. 

"Just the last one hundred years has man 
begun to break away from his antedeluvian fet- 
ters and work out all problems of religion, gov- 
ernment and natural laws independently and in 
the light that what nature teaches must be true. 

"Now, man is going full blast ahead. He has 
on full steam and the good old ship 'Human 
Race' is making a magnificent run for independ- 
ence of thought and is fast reaching the religion 
of a perfect faith in unchangeable laws, guided 
by hope, love and charity." 

Wade Insky: "With all our inventions and 
labor saving machinery that has reduced the cost 
of production and increased the productiveness 
of labor several fold, the laborer is injured instead 
of benefited as he should be. The labor saving 
devices become the property of a few and the 
masses are crowded to a worse slavery. 

"Is there no remedy by which humanity may be 
assisted by improvements in machinery and be 
guarded against exploitation?" 

To change the subject, I told the following 
story : 

A Teacher's Story 

While I was teaching in a country school in the 
woods of Wisconsin, many years ago, I got into 



CRATER OF GOLD 115 

conversation in regard to the interpretation of 
the old stories of the Bible with a Mr. R. W. 
Wright, who was a Sunday Presbyterian and a 
good judge of whisky on week days, also of quite 
liberal views. 

I said: "These old stories can often be ex- 
plained so as to teach good lessons. They are 
nuts to crack. Some are rather hard to crack 
but have big kernels, and some have small ker- 
nels, while there are others all husk and shell." 

Mr. Wright: "Young man, you keep your 
hands off the Bible and take it just as it is. I do 
not try to answer or pry into the laws of God. 
I just live as near right as I can, go to church, 
listen to the minister and go on about my busi- 
ness. If it is not true, I lose nothing. If it is 
true, then I am forgiven my sins and I am safe." 

"Well," I said, "for instance, there are several 
versions of the 'Adam and Eve' story, Mr. 
Wright, and they are quite interesting." 

Mr. Wright: "Is that so? I thought there 
was just the one story." 

Mr. Wright was willing to listen to what I had 
to say, and so I told him. 

Adam and Heva 

One version of the "Adam and Eve" story 
gives their names as Adam and Heva. In this 
story the dissatisfaction of the man caused the 
trouble. They were placed in the garden and 



116 CRATER OF GOLD 

were told that they must stay there, and not ven- 
ture down to the point of land by the sea where 
there were some things that they must not touch, 
and then God left them alone. 

They were getting along nicely until Adam 
determined not to work so hard, but just move 
down there where they could pick a living and 
enjoy life. He did not think God cared anyhow. 
Adam was bound to go, though Heva cried and 
begged him to stay where they belonged and let 
well enough alone ; but Adam pulled away alone 
and ventured into the forbidden territory. The 
sea passed in between him and Heva and he was 
left on a barren rock to starve. The prayers of 
Heva saved Adam. God let him go back, and 
ever after Adam and Heva were happy. 

Mr. Wright: "That is a pretty story." 

I said: "You know the story of Adam and 
Eve. Now, I will tell you the lesson I get from 
it. Adam and Eve are symbols of any man and 
woman; the Garden of Eden, a state of purity; 
the Serpent, disobedience of law or evil which 
puts one out of the state of purity in a morally 
dying condition. The angels with the flaming 
swords represent the unseen forces that make it 
almost impossible to become pure again after 
sinning. Only prayers, finding out what has 
been done wrong and doing so no more can 
restore one. 

"If one is hurt, poisoned or diseased. Nature 
rushes to the assistance of her child and the whole 



CRATER OF GOLD 111 

system is in sympathy with the injured part, and 
if sufficient tissue or strength is left, the injured 
part is built up stronger than before to withstand 
against a repetition of the trouble, though scars 
and weaknesses may result. A continuous viola- 
tion of the law of creation destroys one morally 
and physically in time." 

Mr. Wright: "Very good reasoning. You 
ought to be a preacher." 

Mr. Wright and I became great friends. He 
was a whole-souled, kind hearted man and did 
not claim to know that he was right, but wanted 
to so live that he never could look into the grave 
of any one whom he had injured in life. 

One Saturday afternoon, I dropped in on Mr. 
Wright. We talked about the long cold winter 
and the hard times on account of the long shut 
down of the mills and camps. 

At last, Mr. Wright said: "I was over to 
Mr. Graball's this morning. The young man 
Swander was measuring out a bushel of potatoes 
for the widow Smith. Swander heaped the meas- 
ure and put the potatoes into the widow's vehicle 
and she drove away. Graball was looking venge- 
ance and said: 'Why did you give her over 
measure?' 

"Swander answered: 'Well, I noticed that vou 
gave her scant measure the other day. She is a 
poor widow and I could not help it.' 

"Graball broke loose : 'You get right dov/n to 
your rail-splitting and get that job done.' Swan- 



118 CRATER OF GOLD 

der went to work and Graball turned to me and 
said ; 'That young fellow came here five months 
ago and has worked for his board and a place to 
sleep in the hay mow. He is a good worker. 
The work he has done is worth two hundred dol- 
lars to me, so I did not tell him what a miserable 
creature he is.' 

"Mrs. Graball broke in: 'Why, he is an in- 
fidel! He said this morning that he did not 
believe all he heard and he did not believe that 
Jonah swallowed the whale. Something awful 
will happen if we don't get rid of him.' 

"Mr. and Mrs. Graball claim that they have 
been born again, are sanctified and among the 
elect with no chance to back slide. From what 
I saw this morning J I think that it would do them 
good to be born some more. That young Swan- 
der is a good natured, simple, hard working fel- 
low. It is hardly right to do so much v/ork with- 
out reasonable pay." 

I replied: "Evidently he went down the 
Jericho road and has fallen among thieves." 

Mr. Wright: "It may be so. I am in pretty 
hard circumstances this year myself. My crops 
were poor, there is no work and with my large 
family of ten mouths to feed, it keeps me guess- 
ing. Still I have faith that all will come out 
right yet." 

Just then Mrs. Wright came in from the 
kitchen and looked at Mr. Wright in a helpless 
way as much as to say: "Why don't the teacher 



CRATER OF GOLD 119 

go away and let us eat supper?" Mr. Wright 
telegraphed with his eyes to tell her to announce 
supper. No excuse would be accepted. They 
insisted that I must take supper with them; 
though I tried to get away, I could not. 

All they had to eat was potatoes, potato soup 
and scorched- wheat coffee, no bread, no meat or 
butter, that was all. They made no excuses, or 
expressed any regrets, said, ''Help yourself," and 
all were cheerful and ate hearty meals. It was 
the most enjoyable feast of my life. 

How I sympathized with their children and 
how much kinder I was to all the children at 
school after that! 

Mr. Wright was one of God's noble men and 
Mrs. Wright was so gentle and loving. She was 
the model mother of such radiance that my pen 
can not do her justice. 

After supper, I was made welcome. I felt 
very kindly toward the children as they crowded 
around me, to show their work. I actually en- 
joyed their confidences. Nothing would do but 
I must stay a while and have a game of dominos. 

While I was preparing to take my leave, they 
all crowded around and requested me to come to 
see them often. 

Such experiences as this are the oases in the 
desert of life. 

Wade Insky said that this story made him 
think of an experience that he had while principal 
of a village school. 



120 CRATER OF GOLD 

Mr. Insky's Story 

I shall never forget how Vesta Marque and 
Irene Mariner played a little game on me. These 
girls informed me that their parents wanted 
them to come home at recess and, of course, I 
gave them permission. 

The lady primary teacher dismissed earlier 
than the others, was out for a walk and made the 
discovery that these young ladies had met Bill 
Durand and Cecil McCoy in the edge of the 
woods and all had taken a ride on the bicycles 
down the old logging road. She was indignant 
and hastened to my room to tell me what had 
happened. She said: "I tell you — these girls 
need looking after!" 

"Well," I said, "this should not be talked out, 
and get into the gossip of the town. I think 
that it is best that their parents are not informed, 
for they are so fiercely religious that they may be 
too rough and just do the young ladies harm. 
Will you promise me not to tell any one, and just 
let me handle the case?" The lady promised, 
and so far as I know, she kept her word. 

The next day, Vesta and Irene were at school 
and working hard at their lessons. Just before 
I dismissed, I requested them to remain after 
school for an explanation of some school work. 
I did not want the other pupils to suspect that 
these girls were in any trouble. 



CRATER OF GOLD 121 

When we were alone, the young ladies were 
looking down, ashamed and in some fear. I said : 
"Vesta and Irene, I do not think that you in- 
tended to do much out of the way yesterday. 
You wanted to have a talk with these young men. 
I know how it is myself, and I sympathize with 
you. The worst thing you did was to misrepre- 
sent your intentions; but you thought there was 
no other way. That is an extenuating circum- 
stance in your favor. You ought to know that if 
you go through life that way you become worse 
and in time no one will trust you." 

By this time these young ladies had changed, 
and they were looking at me with the biggest and 
purest eyes that I ever beheld. I continued: 
"Besides, people talk too much and often exag- 
gerate, especially in such a case as this ; therefore, 
I have taken the precaution to keep it quiet and 
not have a general gossip. Now, I want you to 
think this all over and try your best never to do 
anything that requires a falsehood. You are as 
good girls as I know. I want to see you do well. 
These young men are not a bad sort, and as far 
as I know, they are your sweethearts. You may 
go home now. I do not intend to punish you." 

These girls hung around my desk, cried and 
kept telling me over and over that they would 
never do such a thing again. 

After that, they were so considerate of my 
every wish, that it was a pleasure to teach them. 

The last day of school, after all the rest had 



122 CRATER OF GOLD 

gone away, they came to my desk and for several 
minutes begged me to take their school for the 
next year, as they knew that then they could 
graduate. I left, but have heard that these 
young ladies married those young men and that 
they were the best of wives. 

Rev. Damon: "I have sometimes explained 
to pupils that the text books and charts teach 
that the moon's orbit is a circle around the earth 
and that the earth's orbit is in a circle around the 
sun, when, in fact, this is not just the truth. 

"It is true that the moon moves around the 
earth, but it is carried along with the earth so 
rapidly that its orbit is a wavy line crossing the 
earth's orbit from side to side and passing 
through the plane of the earth's orbit at a small 
angle. The earth's orbit forms loops across the 
sun's orbit, or may resemble an extended wire 
spring. The sun's orbit around some other sun, 
and so on ad infinitum, is too much to under- 
stand. 

"The text books do not teach that the earth 
makes one more rotation on its axis a year than 
there are days. 

"When asked why such things were not in the 
text books, I told the pupils that man has no 
parallax from which he can measure the distance 
to other suns, and the orbits of the suns are so 
great that man is unable to chart the skies and 
naturally falls back on the circular orbit for dem- 
onstration work. 



CRATER OF GOLD 123 

Archy Umbrage's Council of the Mind 

As I lay on my couch today, a poor, ragged, 
old man called for a handout. There was a coun- 
cil called in my mind to decide what to do. Rea- 
son presided and Caution said: "Give him a 
cold potato and let him go." Avarice said : "He 
is nothing but an old tramp! Let this body 
under our control keep its goods for itself or it 
may come to want some time." Charity said: 
"This man is not a tramp, but a poor human 
being in distress." Generosity said: "It is a 
shame that such councillors as Avarice ever got 
into the council that manages this body under 
our control. While the decent members were 
asleep, these evil fellows have caused this body 
to do cruel deeds. I move that this body pro- 
ceed at once to give this poor man plenty to eat 
and clothe him warm." 

Charity seconded the motion and it carried 
almost unanimously and I went to the side-board 
so under the influence of Generosity that I took 
a whole roast chicken that was for our dinner, 
grabbed my old overcoat and some clothing and 
handed it all to the poor man. My wife came in 
and went to the side-board and asked : "Archy, 
what has become of that roast chicken?" I told 
her about the argument in my mind and how 
much better I felt for what I had done. Then, 
she was carried away with benevolence and 
wanted to call the stranger back for more. 



124 CRATER OF GOLD 

Mr. Reliance said: "That is a good explana- 
tion of how Jacob wrestled with God." 

Archy U. : ''Rev. Damon, did you ever esti- 
mate that there is only about thirty miles square 
of the sun's surface that radiates heat to the earth 
at the distance of over ninety million miles, and 
wonder, with the rapidly changing positions of 
the earth and sun, how so much heat can reach the 
earth?" 

Rev. Damon: "Yes, there are many such 
questions that astonish us." 

Mr. Reliance: "Not wishing to appear ab- 
rupt in changing the trend of conversation, I wish 
to tell you gentlemen about Henry Unconcern. 
I knew him well. He had been taught from 
childhood to say written prayers and go through 
church rites in a perfunctory way. He paid his 
money, and as he thought got his sins forgiven; 
but he never made any effort to quit his evil 
deeds. 

"He said that he had to misrepresent things in 
order to make deals and succeed in business. 'It 
is a matter of business,' he said. I asked him: 
'Don't you ever feel sorry for the victims that 
you have cheated and broken up ?' 

" 'That makes no difference to me,' he said. 
'Business is business.' 

"I said: 'It were better for you to belong to 
a society that bases its claims for usefulness in 
teaching the law and correct living,' but he was 
indignant and unapproachable. His self-right- 



CRATER OF GOLD 125 

eousness and faith in idolatrous forms had 
blinded his perceptions to the beauty of the true 
Christian life." 

Without comment on this last talk, we kindly 
separated and went about our respective affairs 
expecting to meet again. 



CHAPTER IV 

At a social gathering, Rev. Formal told an 
old story about how Thesius did so many wonder- 
ful deeds that the people knew no better than to 
Deify him and worship him as a God,. 

Wade Insky: "That makes me think of an 
old story that I have read some time." 

The Story 

Once there were two old men climbing a hill. 
One said to the other, "You stop here and let me 
go up alone." The other waited a while, but 
got uneasy and followed, and just before he 
caught up, a chariot of fire came do^vn and took 
the leader to heaven, but as he went up, he 
dropped his cloak on the one left behind. 

Well, this old fellow went down to a little town 
and was telling all about what had happened, 
when a bunch of street Arabs gathered around 
him and made fun and called him an old bald- 
head. Two she-bears rushed out of the woods 
and killed, ate and hurt about forty of these bad 
children. 

"Why, Mr. Insky!" said the good hostess, 
"that is in the Bible!" 

Mr. Insky: "Well, then, it must be true. 
Excuse me, my memory is very poor in my old 
days." 

126 



CRATER OF GOLD 127 

Rev. Formal: "You should be very careful, 
Mr. Insky. God requires that we shall pay rev- 
erence to every word in the Bible." 

Then I butted in : "These stories are intended 
to teach us lessons. If one does right and sub- 
mits to the law of God, he gets his reward what- 
ever he may believe." 

Rev. Formal came back viciously: "If one 
does not believe every word in the Bible and is 
baptized, he will go straight to hell." 

I subsided, as I wanted no argument on the 
question; but Archy Umbrage said that all of 
this made him think of a story. 



The New Brains 

Once there was a man who said to the doctor: 
"My brains are out of order. I ought to have a 
new set." 

The doctor replied: "I can make you a new 
set of brains of the best quality for fifty dollars. 
I can have them ready for you in two days. Do 
you want to buy?" 

"Yes," said the man, "I will call for them. 
Here is your money." 

The man never called for his brains. Six 
months later, the doctor met him on the street 
and said : "Hello ! Say ! Aren't you the fellow 
who paid me for a new set of brains?" 

"Yes," said the man. 



128 CRATER OF GOLD 

"Well, why did you not come and get them?" 
asked the doctor. 

*'0h, I got a job as a preacher the next day 
and then I did not need them," said the man. 

This story raised some row and Mr. Umbrage 
closed the argument by saying: "Some preach- 
ers are as far from the true meaning of the teach- 
ing of Jesus as San Juan de Fuca is from the 
solar plexus." 

Then, Mr. Reliance, with the object of scat- 
tering oil upon troubled waters, read an original 
poem of his, "They Know Not What They Do." 

Chorus 

They know not what they do; 
They know not what they do. 
O Thou Most High, forgive them. 
They know not what they do. 



I live according to the light 

Of proven truth and conscience's sway. 
I do not know that I am right, 

Though I have faith in what I say. 
A song of love and charity 

In this cruel world I want to leave. 
For suffering humanity, 

Keep warring, causing all to grieve. 

II 

What crimes have been in Jesus' name? 

Such persecutions, many slain; 
For man could not believe the same. 

O Thou Most High, remove the stain, 



CRATER OF GOLD ' 129 

As Jesus taught this truth to man, 
"Reward according to his deeds." 

Tradition's slaves nailed to the cross 
This Greatest Teacher of man's needs. 

Ill 

It seems that man is not to blame, 

A creature of environment, 
Misruled, mistaught, believes the same 

As parents teach without dissent; 
However wrong that this may be. 

So different in what they teach, 
All claim they're right, do not agree. 

Let proven truth be what you preach. 

IV 

Hypotheses teach them as such, 

A difference in the belief 
May come should not amount to much. 

So do not cause a loss, or grief 
To any one, let all alone; 

Go on thy way and be at peace 
And know that all can not be known. 

Let envy, war and turmoil cease. 



O brother man, you do not know 

That you are right and what you think 
To be the truth may not be so. 

Go study nature's way and drink 
The living truth from fountain pure; 

Then, you will have no argument; 
For all agree that nature's sure. 

With brothers you should live content. 



130 CRATER OF GOLD 

VI 

Whatever color, race, or creed. 

Or what may be their state in life, 
Have charity for all in need; 

Teach them the truth, discourage strife. 
Let your example show the way 

To make this world a paradise. 
And your reward is sure some day 

For work well done and sacrifice. 

This poem had the right effect and general 
friendliness was restored to the gathering. 

Then Archy Umbrage got into a private con- 
versation with Mr. Reliance. Archy said: "I 
am an atheist. I do not believe in anything. 
* Shall not murder' means no murder if God is 
all powerful. If man had the power, his 'Shall 
nots' would prevent all crime. Moses gave some 
goods laws but misquoted authority." 

Mr. Reliance: "I argue not on the authority 
of Moses. Do you believe that things grow and 
take different forms under control of unchange- 
able laws?" 

Archy: "Yes, that is nature." 

Mr. Reliance: "Do 3^ou know that there are 
many unaccountable manifestations of mind and 
mind development?" 

Archy: "Yes, that is nature. All spiritual 
or mind development is just as natural as any- 
thing else in nature." 

Mr. Reliance: "What causes nature?" 



CRATER OF GOLD 131 

Archy: "I do not know. Nature just is, 
that's all." 

Mr. Reliance: "Supposing I tell you that 
when I put my faith in the Power that rules 
nature and pray for truth and right, that a feel- 
ing of relief and content comes to me that I can 
get no other way. May it not be that there is a 
spirit of good that comforts those who humbly 
submit and pray for forgiveness and guidance in 
the ways of truth?" 

Archy: Oh! I believe that." 

Mr. Reliance : "What difference does it make 
what you call this spirit ? God means good. The 
spirit of Jesus is good. If one goes to his room 
and gives himself up to secret prayer, it does him 
good." 

Archy: "Yes, I believe that. You talk rea- 
sonably. There may be some power that comes 
to him who will trust and pray, for all I know." 

Mr. Reliance: "When you are discouraged 
or the future looks dark and gloomy, try this 
praying in secret and see if your eyes are not 
opened to the beauty of nature and nature's God. 
It may be that you will naturally grow better. 
Spiritual growth, no doubt, is a natural growth, 
and comes best to him who like a little child sur- 
renders to the law of God with absolute faith in 
his justice." 

Archy: "Oh, I am not so bad. I may be- 
lieve more than I pretend, but what makes me 
tired is these self-righteous fellows who assume 



132 CRATER OF GOLD 

to be the whole cheese, make so much noise and 
condemn every one that disagrees with them, 
still are just as ready to grab every dollar in 
sight." 

Mr. Reliance: "Do not let them prevent you 
from doing what is right." 

Archy: "You are right. I hope for eternal 
life some way, but I do not expect my body to 
go with me. It decomposes and returns to the 
elements from whence it came, and is used when 
needed in the economy of nature. It is taken 
into plant and animal growth. The H2O, or 
water, may evaporate and join the clouds, fall 
in rain, sparkle in the frost and icicle, gather into 
the streams and roll back to old ocean. One batch 
of water, carbon, lime, etc., is just as good as 
another batch out of which to make a body for 
resurrection." 

Mr. Reliance : "I argue not on this question. 
It is enough for me to trust that our reward is 
sure for every good deed." 

Archy : "Dead plants and animals are decom- 
posed by a slow fire and serve as food to generate 
disease germs. They should be consumed by 
active fire to guard the health of the living." 

Mr. Reliance: "That is the truth, but the dis- 
position of the bodies of our dear ones must be 
left to the wishes of the parties concerned." 

Archy: "Mr. Reliance, permit me to submit 
a poem I have written lately to you for criti- 
cism." 



CRATER OF GOLD 133 

Finite Mind 

I 

Has man the right to think, explain, produce, ex- 
plore. 
To find the truth, establish rules and add some 

more 
Of beneficial laws regarding government, 
Religion and all things pertaining to content? 
Or must he accept some assumed revelation 
As A and Z of all of man's information. 
Depriving himself of the right to prove or saith 
That which may contradict the dogmas of some 

faith? 
These questions are now agitating all mankind 
And let us hope the time will come when man 

will find 
It better to unite on proven law, and cease 
Contention over ancient lore and theories. 
The suff'ring of humanity, a bond should be 
To cause the wars to cease, prevent all cruelty. 

II 

I prayed for light and truth, and if I had the right 
To think, establish, prove and teach whatever 

might 
Appear to me to be correct and best for man. 
The answer to my conscience came: "You have 

and can 
New systems teach, beware you teach the truth, 

you may 
Let your imagination carry you away 
Unto the uttermost bounds of all human thought." 
So my imagination on a comet caught. 
Away it sailed in space, but no out edge was found, 



134 CRATER OF GOLD 

I cried, "A line without an end! Space with no 

bound! 
Impossible but must be true ! If there's an end. 
What next?" The finite mind doth fail to see the 

trend. 
All problems are the same, conclusions must be 

true. 
Impossible, though they may seem to the first view. 
Eternal Life, also, appears in the same way; 
Impossible, but Must be True, we have to say. 

Ill 

The finite mind doth see so far, so little knows 
That man may be confused and helpless in the 

throes 
Of the bewild'ring, awful thought "Infinity," 
His mind gives 'way and he accepts "Divinity" 
As taught by some assumptive revelation old. 
That claims to.be the only truth that has been told; 
His onward progress to a new and higher plane 
Is thus estopped, he dare not credit, nor retain 
The proven laws of nature disproving his creed. 
And knowing that he's right, to truth he pays no 

heed. 
He teaches to his children the tenets and rites 
Of his belief, all other systems he indicts. 
No argument, or logic turns him from his plan, 
He stays a clog to universal peace of man. 

IV 

Thus, man inherits customs, race, his faith and 

dress 
To which he clings tenaciously, though you express 
Convincing facts as proof of better ways and laws; 



CRATER OF GOLD 135 

But constant teaching gradually wins applause, 
Creates a doubt that leads one to investigate; 
Investigation finds the truth to regulate 
Beliefs of man, and bring about reforms and 

change. 

And man advances to a higher plane and range; 
But often holds the old until the new is tried. 
That man is not to blame, can hardly be denied — 
A creature of environment, misruled, mistaught, 
A slave to old tradition, mind with fear is fraught. 
No change can be until a doubt the mind con- 
ceives, 
The truth will then appear more plain the mind 

relieves. 
So doubt is necessary for the world's advance 
To faith in proven truth, and doubt of all romance. 

V 

There never was a time in all this world's career, 
But man looked back on ancestor's beliefs so queer 
And wondered how they could so inconsistent be. 
It was for lack of knowledge that they failed to see 
The reason for the most simple phenomenon. 
They had no proven laws to base their logic on. 
And so they worshiped idols, sun, fire, geese and 

cows 
With incantation, sacrifice and foolish vows. 
Then, somewhere in the woods, or in the land of 

Nod 
A seer a private talk has with the living god; 
He is informed about just how all things begun; 
He gets the truth, the whole truth, that's under the 

sun; 
The laws and regulations for the chosen race; 
And thus advance is made to faith not quite so 

base. 



136 CRATER OF GOLD 



VI 



Why fear to find the truth? the truth will set you 

free. 
And absolute and perfect faith will give to thee 
The constancy of law and God will be so sure, 
You'll "Keep the law" to save your soul and health 

secure. 
Discard irrational incantation and charm, 
Idolatrous rites and forms and have no alarm; 
You get reward according to deeds, just and true. 
And punishment is sure for sins that you may do. 
There's no forgiveness unless you quit the wrong, 
And "Go thy way and sin no more," and then, ere 

long. 
There's inspiration to the soul, return to health. 
And growth in power to shun the paths of sin and 

stealth, 
And treat your neighbors as you want them to 

treat you. 
And have that change of heart to give to each his 

due. 
With charity for all, good will and peace to man, 
Accord with nature and the universal plan, — 
All old things pass away and give room for the 

new. 
The dawn of better days will then appear in view. 

Mr. Reliance: "That is a good production 
and it does me good to see that you have brought 
out the exact spirit of the true teaching of Jesus 
in the sixth verse." 

Archy: "Mr. Reliance, I thank you for the 
compliment. I must go home. We part as 
friends, and I hope to profit from your advice. 
Good night." 



CRATER OF GOLD 137 

Rev. Damon: "Mr. Reliance, you have suc- 
ceeded well in your conversation with Mr. 
Umbrage. He will soon be a good Christian." 

Mr. Reliance: "Archy is naturally a good 
Christian." 

Rev. Damon: "Yes, his intentions are good, 
but he comes out a little too strong on such men 
as Rev. Formal, and takes offense when it would 
do more good and be more Christian-like to be 
patient." 

Mr. Reliance: "He told me once that he 
thought one gets the spirit of good from studying 
the lives of great men and trying to emulate their 
characters. There is some sense in such reason- 
ing. Archy is a great student of history and has 
formed his ideas on ethics." 

Wade Insky: "He is independent! but when 
a fellow has to toil like I do for a mere sub- 
sistance, it about crushes out his character. 

"When I was a child, I remember a story of a 
boy kneeling by the bedside of his dying father, 
and I said mournfully, 'Poor Peter, poor Peter.' 
An older brother said, 'Wade is going to cry,' 
and I did cry as if my poor heart would break, 
while all around me all except my mother were 
laughing at my expense. 

"That kind-hearted child has been driven to do 
many cruel ^eeds since then by this awful, cruel 
animal struggle for existence, and by blinded 
fanatics and sordid devotees of Mammon. Lit- 
tle consideration or mercy has ever been shown 



138 CRATER OF GOLD 

him. He generally has been compelled to show 
a reckless, hard-hearted demeanor contrary to his 
real nature. I am in pretty hard circmnstances 
this year." 

Rev. Damon: "Is there not plenty of work?" 

Wade Insky: "Yes, there is some work, but 
no one wants an old man. The government, the 
corporations and large firms, all draw the age 
limit. 

"I have been in business and lost out, so I have 
no trade and belong to no union. Wherever I 
ask for work, they notice my age, or not having 
a union card, no work is given. If I am given a 
job at some hard labor, I am expected to do as 
much or more than younger men. If I wear out, 
I am kicked off the job. I tell you that an old 
man has no show and that is all there is about it." 

Rev. Damon: "This does not look just right, 
but I do not know what is to be done. Many 
poor women and children are slaving for half pay 
trying to earn an honest living. There ought to 
be something done to provide work for the needy 
at least." 

Wade Insky: "We inherited a continent of 
rich, virgin soil and untold mineral wealth. It 
has been given away to foreigners, squandered, 
or put into the hands of a few to buy foreign 
titles, while the descendants of old Revolutionary 
heroes are beggars, tramps and slaves fighting 
like dogs for the crumbs that fall from their mas- 
ters' tables. 



CRATER OF GOLD 139 

"This soil has been used for years and does not 
possess its virgin, intrinsic value, but the unrea- 
sonable increase in population and necessity of 
man has put the price of this depleted soil out of 
our reach. There is nothing left but dry desert, 
and there the poor settler is robbed by bogus, 
irresponsible irrigation companies. 

"The poor can not get justice in the courts, for 
the rich opponents procure lawyers to twist the 
law, or appeal to other courts until the poor liti- 
gant is broken up. Now, after it is too late, a 
few begin to agitate conservation. Conservation 
will not do. There must be a readjustment." 

Rev. Damon: "A readjustment may be ac- 
complished by a system of land, income and inher- 
itance taxation •and government ownership to 
gradually change conditions, without interfering 
materially with private enterprise, but we must 
move slowly and not become desperate and under- 
take to change by violence. Let the majority 
rule." 

Wade Insky: "I shall not argue this with 
you, but will tell you about an irrigation swindle 
that I am well acquainted with. 

"I knew J. Noble Juggler and his spittoons, 
I. M. McSkunk, G. O. Getthem, and J. E. 
Fetchem, who so misrepresented an irrigation 
project that they sold poor, elevated desert land 
at thirty dollars an acre to hundreds of poor set- 
tlers and also charged one dollar per acre a year 
for maintenance of ditches, etc. 



140 CRATER OF GOLD 

"They lied about the chmate and the products 
and failed to furnish water. They never kept 
their promises. They had their contracts so 
worded that settlers, unable to make a living, 
gave up their land and had no recourse for dam- 
ages. 

"These scoundrels sold the land over and over, 
and may be at it yet so far as I know. Our legis- 
lators are so blind that no provisions are made to 
prevent such robberies. Here, many poor fami- 
lies lost their money and were brought to the 
agonies of starvation. 

"Is it not about time for the people to take 
charge of the affairs of state ? Here is one of my 
attempts to write poetry." 

ONLY WHAT IS PROVEN IS KNOWN 

This is a singular world we are living in, 

We do not understand why we are here; 
There is no knowledge that shows us how things 
begin. 
Though some may think they can see their way 
clear. 

Everj^thing that I see is beyond my mind 
And I am puzzled to such a degree. 

That I conclude no one knows or will ever find 
Laws that will prove why things grow or may be. 

So we don't know what is true if not proven so. 
You may believe the unknown, say don't know. 

I do not know, but I think I'm inspired to write 
This kind of logic poor man to enlight. 



CRATER OF GOLD 141 

It is the man who is sure what he thinks is true, 
And knows his faith is correct to a tee, 

Who's apt to persecute those of another view 
And have no reason and little mercy. 

Of course he thinks he is serving his God with vim 
To win a title to mansions in the skies. 

And I am trying to teach all such men as him 
That they don't know and I hope they get wise. 

For there is room for us all to remain in peace 
On this terrestrial sphere for all time. 

And have no more ill dispute over sophistries; 
For this will bring to the world peace sublime. 

Rev. Damon : "I am no poetry critic. Never 
could write anything that looked like poetry, but 
it seems that you have expressed some of your 
thoughts very well in rhyme." 

Here the social gathering dispersed, which fin- 
ished the discussion. 

I sincerely hope that Rev. Damon is right in 
regard to the Divinity of Jesus — for no one need 
fear injustice from such a judge as the lowly 
Nazarine. 

I shall always remember this reverend friend 
with love. I have no doubt but what his reward 
is sure. He had the true spirit of Jesus. 



142 CRATER OF GOLD 



SOMETHING NEW 

I can not sing the old songs, 
So I look for something new; 

I do not like the old styles. 
They make blue to view. 

I want to see the new come, 

That will make the world to move; 

I want to hear things humming 
In the line with what we prove. 

Fm always looking for change; 

Things a rollin', rollin' on; 
Reforms can't come too fast, see! 

For they're needed ev'ry one. 



CRATER OF GOLD 143 



OLD CUSTOM 

Old Custom came along. 

And said, "How do you do?" 
"Not doing well," I said. 

"I'll have no talk with you." 
Old Custom is no friend; 

I treat him as a clown. 
We look for something New: 

Some day we'll turn him down. 

Let justice be our aim, 

Let error pass away. 
And Truth all time prevail. 

And bring a better day. 
Give man a chance to work. 

And never idle be; 
And let him live in peace, 

However he may see. 



THE FUTURE GOVERNMENT 

1913 



CHAPTER I 

On one of my trips away from my retreat, I 
wandered into the little city of Glenden. 

I was resting in its beautiful park when an old 
man accosted me with the remark, "You seem to 
be a stranger here?" I replied, "I have not 
been here for over forty years." 

He was one of these talkative old fellows who 
never let up when once they get a victim who 
will listen to them. So I listened without reply 
to his rambling remarks something like this : 

"Well, another constitutional election is on 
hand this year. In 19 — , twelve years ago, we 
had a very quiet time. How quick twelve years 
have rolled around! 

"Let me tell you, Glenden has a much more 
contented people now than it had before the 
great constitutional and general law election was 
held in 19 — , when the people by a majority vote 
decided to change their form of government by 
accepting the progressive party's proposal, a new 
constitution and a new code of laws in plain 
English, giving the people the right to decide 
what shall be the law of the land, and empower- 

144 



CRATER OF GOLD 145 

ing them to engage in all kinds of business enter- 
prises that regulate prices, gives everybody work 
and prevents extortions of the trusts. 

"The provision for a constitutional election 
every twelve years was a wise move. Each party 
is given the right to submit a constitution and 
general code of laws, and if a majority of those 
voting accept either plan, the new system takes 
the place of the old; but if no party receives a 
majority, then the old constitution will stand 
until the next constitutional election twelve years 
later. This plan brought out all the inventive 
genius of the country to produce the most just, 
inexpensive and humane government that could 
be devised. The desire of all parties to win a 
majority vote had the effect to prevent extremes, 
or unreasonable propositions. 

"It is proven that where there are several plans 
from which to select, that the plan that can win 
a majority vote over all must be shorn of all 
favoritism and be of such tangible form as to 
prove that a stable government will be provided. 

"In the election of 19 — , the change to our 
present stable currency was carried. The most 
unchanging in value commodity that exists was 
made the unit of exchange and a legal tender 
for all debts. This unit is a day's labor, eight 
hours of common labor, named *daylor,' was 
made to equal two and one-half dollars in the old 
money. Every daylor represents intrinsic value, 
eight hours of hard work. 

10 



146 CRATER OF GOLD 

"At first there was some hoarding of gold and 
fear, but that has all passed away. The disuse 
of gold, especially for money, has reduced its 
value. It is only needed for some foreign trade 
and ornament. 

"Only a few are left here in Glenden who 
remember the suffering, graft, bribery, dens of 
vice and general debauchery of the people from 
the use of narcotics and intoxicants. The masses 
were driven to desperation and insanity. Nearly 
all were perverted in body, soul and judgment. 

"John Oldwheat, the supervisor of the Public 
Service Store and Dispensatory, his wife, who 
was Mary Archer, and James Archer, the super- 
visor of the Public Service Bank, were here in 
Glenden before the people's rule began. The 
old professor, Edmon Strange, who makes his 
home with Mr. Oldwheat, was the principal of 
the Glenden schools for several years preceding 
the great change in our management of public 
affairs. 

"Mr. Oldwheat, his wife, James Archer and a 
few others living here were graduated from the 
Glenden schools under Prof. Strange, and all 
think so well of this estimable old gentleman 
that he prefers to live here with his friends. He 
has been in the Public Service for many years and 
served faithfully in every position with which he 
has been trusted, is retired with honor and gets a 
pension on account of advanced age." 

At last I broke away from the old man, think- 



CRATER OF GOLD 147 

ing^ that he was not accountable, and I wandered 
down the street. I was bewildered by the great 
change that I saw on all sides of me. I could not 
account for so many large buildings, which I 
learned were mostly for the Public Service. 

I was attracted to a large, durable stone struc- 
ture right in the center of the city. I asked a 
man at the door what it was used for, and he 
informed me that it was the Public Service Acad- 
emy of Science, that there were many scientific 
departments and laboratories for experiments 
and teaching; that there was a large audience 
room for all to hear scientific lectures and see 
experiments performed. He asked me to step 
in, as there would soon be a very instructive lec- 
ture, given by Prof. Mentor, the renowned Public 
Service Investigator. 

I was shown a seat, the most perfect and easy 
cushioned I ever sat in. I was amazed, but, as 
I always listen to others, read, study, and experi- 
ment, not to find out what others think, but to 
determine what I, myself, think upon all ques- 
tions, I was all attention to Prof. Mentor as he 
said: 

"Fellow Citizens : While man has made great 
discoveries such as : wireless communication which 
enables those in conversation to see each other 
while conversing; moving pictures that talk; 
transmission of mail across the United States 
in three hours through pneumatic tubes; 
preservation of suspended life for any length 



148 CRATER OF GOLD 

of time to be resuscitated; the production of 
real blood in the laboratory to assist in pro- 
longing life; agents to remove all harmful 
microbes from the living ; machines to throw balls 
of electric force and volumes of poisonous gases 
that will easily destroy a whole army or city, and 
an electric device to explode the enemy's ammuni- 
tion, so that the universal peace of the world is 
all that saves us from destruction; and scientists 
working hard, with various success, to produce all 
foods direct from the elements, and many other 
inventions and discoveries that stun us ; but these 
are now eclipsed by what I shall demonstrate 
today. 

"We have discovered agents and conditions by 
which to resolve metals into their constituent 
parts, and we find that metals are often composed 
of the same elements combined in different pro- 
portions. 

"Now, we are led to believe that all of the 
seventy-two substances, heretofore called ele- 
ments, are stable compounds of a much less num- 
ber of elements in different proportions. 

"The chemist proved many years ago that the 
same substances combined in different propor- 
tions made different materials, foods, poisons, 
solids, liquids, or gases. 

"I am prepared today to show to you that gold, 
silver and iron are composed of the same elements 
combined in different proportions. By the reso- 
lution of iron into its constituent parts and re- 



CRATER OF GOLD 149 

combining in the right proportion, it will be 
changed to gold. This much has been accom- 
plished. We are working hard to discover the 
truth along these lines as far as we can go, to 
establish the laws so far as can now be seen for 
a readjustment of our text books to suit the new 
scientific discoveries. The old was right as far 
as it went and has been the means by which we 
have climbed to these wonderful possibilities. No 
one knows what may yet be proven by investiga- 
tion and experiments, but there is enough to cause 
us to bow in great reverence to the Supreme 
Ruler of all things." 

After performing his experiment and demon- 
strating the change of iron to gold. Prof. Mentor 
closed by saying : 

"This easy supply of gold will now compel the 
few backward nations to advance to the standard 
of labor. 

"Man has discovered that there is one strange 
force possessed by all material and that this force 
is governed by unchangeable laws that appear 
to keep all material, the whole universe in con- 
stant motion, evolving planetary systems, change 
of forms, growth and decay, life and death, ever 
moving in cycle upon cycle forming anew as old 
things pass away. He has about proven that all 
forms of matter are stable or unstable compounds 
of a few elements that possess this force in differ- 
ent degrees of intensity and under certain condi- 
tions combine in different proportions to produce 



150 CRATER OF GOLD 

the thousands of compounds that we find in 
nature. This force is called attraction. Man 
has proven enough of the laws of attraction and 
the affinities of substances to explain the cause of 
many of the occurrences in nature; but he can 
not answer why the force of attraction exists. 

"We have found an agent that readily decom- 
poses all earth material, except platinum, and 
by its use, we hope to do many things. We see 
no reason why this agent can not be passed 
through platinum tubes and sink a hole to the 
center of the earth, unless this is a solid mass of 
platinum on account of its specific gravity. 

"The scientific world is now on the tip-toe of 
expectations." 

After this, I wandered into Mr. Oldwheat's 
home and was made welcome. Mr. Oldwheat 
came home from the store and sat down in his 
easy chair. 

Mrs. Oldwheat, ever on the outlook for her 
husband's comfort, noticed that he looked wearied 
and said: "What is the matter, John? You 
look tired." Mr. Oldwheat replied; "I am 
tired. I have been busy distributing the new 
constitutions and codes that the various parties 
are submitting for the November election." 

"Well," said Mrs. Oldwheat, "there will not be 
much excitement this election, will there? It 
seems to me that everybody is now well pleased 
to let well enough alone." 

"Yes," said Mr. Oldwheat, "there is a chance 



CRATER OF GOLD 151 

for quite a campaign. The conservatives have 
come out with a very fine constitution. Their 
men are all of good reputation, but there is a 
reactionary tone about the whole document. 
There is a slight incorporation of the old system, 
to have certain laws made by a small body of rep- 
resentatives of the people 'to facilitate the action 
of the government,' as they claim. The progres- 
sive party has put up good men and stands pat 
on our present system with very few amendments. 
I have no doubt but what the progressives will 
win, but there is always a chance for a reaction 
to take place. The socialists propose a great 
change and, while they have no chance to win, 
they may stir up much argument which may 
cause needed reforms." 

**I hope," said Mrs. Oldwheat, "that the reac- 
tionaries are defeated. Let us hold all the power 
for the people. We should not move back toward 
the old hog-and-dog system that you and I 
remember so well. 

"In 19 — , we studied a long time before we 
were convinced, and had it not been for the good 
Prof. Strange, who took so much time in explain- 
ing, we and our parents might have feared to 
make a change." 

Mr. Oldwheat said: "I remember well how 
the Professor told us to do right because it is 
right, and how we should not do to others what 
we do not want them to do to us. He had the 
knack of making us see that he was giving us a 



152 CRATER OF GOLD 

chance to escape and that he was interested in 
our welfare. He claimed that all children are 
naturally good, but that their minds are pliable 
and easily led into wrong by bad treatment and 
unwholesome environments, which considering 
the state of society, was hard to escape. He told 
us that we were just as good, or better than he 
himself was, but that he was in the place of 
teacher and was required to govern the school. 
We all voted that we wanted order. We felt 
like we were to be given a square deal." 

"How you do make me remember how kind 
he was," said Mrs. Oldwheat. "Do j^ou remem- 
ber one day when I was whispering and he called 
me to his desk and said that I was the best girl 
in the world and that he would help me all he 
could, but just wished that I would not whisper 
and disturb the school work, and then he kindly 
sent me back to my desk? How I dropped my 
head and took a good cry! Why, I was pun- 
ished worse than being scolded or whipped. I 
just know by his looks that he almost loved me. 
You were just a little jealous, too, John." 

"Oh, I remember that," said Mr. Oldwheat, 
"and I think it was the same day that he said 
that there was a young man that was playing 
tricks and thought that he was too smart to get 
caught, but that his tricks were annoying, and if 
they did not cease, he would have to call the 
young man out and take some action to stop the 
nonsense." 



CRATER OF GOLD 153 

"Yes," said Mrs. Oldwheat, ''you and some 
other boys, each, thought that he was the particu- 
lar chap." 

"We all gave Prof. Strange credit for giving 
us fair warning and treating us kindly," said Mr. 
Oldwheat. "He never liked to make a public 
show of any one, or prove anj^ one guilty of a 
low down trick. When he left his fine, little pen- 
knife on his desk and Jim Jigger stole it at 
recess, he just knew who had that knife. The 
Jiggers were known as thieves, and before this 
Jim had stolen everything that he could lay his 
hands on. Prof. Strange just remarked that 
some one had borrowed his knife and explained 
why we should always return such things. So he 
just requested that whoever had the knife should 
slip around at intermission and leave it on his 
desk. Sure enough! When school took up, 
there was the knife. Jim studied hard after that, 
always stood by the teacher and is now in the 
Public Service well respected and doing fine." 

"We can never forget the good lessons that he 
taught us," said Mrs. Oldwheat. "We could 
talk for months about them and then not touch 
half his work. No one can estimate the influ- 
ence that such a man can start to going in this 
world. It is strange how he swayed us to the 
truth and right just by the logic of the duty of 
one to another." 

"Prof. Strange," said Mr. Oldwheat, "went so 
far with his theories on evolution in teaching 



154 CRATER OF GOLD 

Biology and explaining that everything has a 
cause in nature that the orthodox churches of that 
day were turned against him. Had not we 
scholars stood for him, he might have lost his 
position." 

"Father was one of the directors," said Mrs. 
Oldwheat, "and he informed those poor bigots 
that the teacher was only teaching what the text- 
books taught and that as science was proving 
what it taught, it would be unjust and foolish to 
handicap the teacher in such work to agree with 
any assumed revelation. Father thought that 
we would have to interpret the symbols of the 
Bible so as to make them agree with known facts. 
Anyhow, he carried the school-board his way." 

Mrs. Oldwheat excused herself to see about the 
preparation of supper for a lot of young Old- 
wheats who were coming in from their work and 
the schools. 

Mr. Oldwheat sat in his easy chair resting and 
musing : 

"How strange is life! Why do we remember? 
No one knows where or how the things remain in 
the mind. 

"How much I find myself thinking and using 
the same methods learned so long ago at school. 
How strange that the influence of a teacher 
should live on as it does. My actions are differ- 
ent from what they might have been, and so this 
influence is passed on to all with whom I asso- 
ciate. Our children are affected and to all time 



CRATER OF GOLD 155 

ever increasing, Prof. Strange has left an influ- 
ence in the world. 

"It would seem that we are the product of the 
influences of the ages. Lucky is the man whose 
lot is cast under good influences, and to be pitied 
and helped is the poor man who has fallen to evil 
influences. 

"In my boyhood, I was surrounded with all 
kinds of vice and I was on the down road; but 
along came this good and just man, Prof. 
Strange, and fired me with the desire to be trust- 
worthy. He patiently taught until I straight- 
ened up. I won the love of the best woman in 
the world, and how I have striven to be just and 
kind to all. Yes, we must remove the causes 
that keep evil influences in the world. Evil 
must be choked to death with good. Superstition 
is an evil that is difficult to handle. It becomes 
so interwoven in the life of the victim that the 
removal may mean moral death to him. 

"We do not always know what is best and we 
must move slowly, always showing due respect 
for the opinions of others. Let us hope for all 
things that are best for us and submit to the law 
of the Supreme Ruler and have faith that all is 
well." 

Soon after the distribution of the plans sub- 
mitted for the November election, all was investi- 
gation and friendly consideration as to which 
would work best. All admitted that there was 
no serious danger to be apprehended from any 



156 CRATER OF GOLD 

system proposed. They were all surprised at the 
immense work and study that had been done in 
their preparation. 

At a gathering of friends of Mr. Oldwheat in 
his library, Prof. Strange was called on to ex- 
plain to them the struggle of man to reach his 
present high civilization. 

Prof. Strange, over eighty years old, spoke in 
deliberate language as follows : 

"My Dear Friends: I consider it no light 
responsibility to undertake to teach the truth, as 
we are only beginning to reason logically with 
minds free to accept whatever is proven. 

"We feel and know that there is much that we 
.may yet learn, and a great unknown that man 
can never fathom. 

"We have hypotheses, theories and proven 
laws. The hypothesis may advance to the rank 
of a theory or be dropped as foolish. The theory 
may be proven and become a law, or may be 
proven false. The laws stand as guide posts sure 
and everlasting on the road penetrating the 
unknown. 

"These laws lead us to the high plane of faith 
in the constancy of all laws, known or unknown, 
and spur us on in our research for more truth. 

"That all matter has existed forever and pos- 
sesses inherent forces that keep it in motion 
evolving all things without the loss of an atom, 
a law, or diminution of forces, is a plausible 
hypothesis. That these inherent forces of matter 



CRATER OF GOLD 157 

have evolved all forms of life from the lowest to 
the highest is almost a proven theory and may be 
accepted as law. 

"The earth is an open book to the geologist. 
He turns the stratum leaves and sees full sized 
pictures of all the life that ever inhabited this 
globe in order of its existence. A revelation to 
man that tells of millions of years of struggle 
and groping for an understanding. 

"Only a few years have passed since man in- 
vented the alphabet and learned how to write, 
and then only a few scribes could write and the 
masses remained in ignorance until recent times. 
The outlet to the truth has been hidden by the 
debris of assumed revelations and false sophis- 
tries. 

"During those millions of years of which we 
have no written account, how the tribes of man 
and their imaginary gods fought and what awful 
suffering took place, we can only conjecture. 

"These prehistoric peoples handed down many 
legends. It may be that many of these legends 
were based on actual events, and that many were 
imaginary stories. 

"The old scribes wrote these legends, thousands 
of them, and they formed the basis for the re- 
ligions of mankind. These legends created the 
gods in the image of pristine man, and as he 
was cruel and tricky, the gods were cruel and 
dangerous to deal with. You can tell the nature 
qfa people by learning the nature of their god. 



158 CRATER OF GOLD 

"Each revelator claimed that his revelation was 
the whole truth, and that all others were liars. 
This kept down New Thought. Good men, 
teachers of advanced thought, were put to death. 
Millions of the best of mankind have lost their 
lives in this way in the name of some god; but 
God was not there. 

"The God of Love and Justice, through his 
agents, the evolutionary forces of nature, has 
raised man to his present high plane of logic that 
is a guarantee of the ultimate salvation of all 
races of man and a cessation of strife, all old 
things passing away and everything becoming 
new, all upheld by a perfect faith in the rights 
of man to work out his own salvation and advance 
to a better understanding. 

"Man is now advancing onward and upward 
rapidly. The wonders that he has done give us 
promise of greater blessings to follow. 

"Just a short time ago the printing press was 
invented. That put an education in reach of 
many people instead of a few, and as the masses 
became educated, they learned to contend for a 
more just rule, but the bondage of the old dog- 
m^as have been hard to overcome. Now, there 
are few left who deny the rights of man to 
change his government or his religion to suit his 
new environments and discoveries. There are 
none left who desire to return to the plutocratic 
rule of misery previous to 19 — . There is no 
religion that now upholds the killing of so-called 



CRATER OF GOLD 159 

witches and heretics; in fact, there are few who 
uphold capital punishment or any kind of pun- 
ishment. We have reached sure conclusions on 
religion that forever banish those dark days. Our 
God is Love. Our faith is absolute that God 
will give justice to all and will never play any 
tricks, nor punish us. We injure ourselves by 
violating the law. 

"Let us pray for an understanding of the law 
of God, knowing that we must obey or suffer. 
God must be worshiped in spirit and in truth." 

This appeared as rather an unusual doctrine; 
but I had nothing to say. 

Then James Archer said: "Friends and 
Neighbors : I hope that there is no one who dis- 
putes that it is the people's right and duty to 
improve their form of government and change 
their beliefs to agree with known facts, and to 
continue to adopt improved methods as fast as 
experience and science work them out. 

"The most capable men of each party have 
spent the last twelve years carefully analyzing 
results and inventing new methods and very cred- 
itable is their work. 

"While no party has dared to propose any 
unfair proposition, it appears to me that the 
socialists have proposed the most perfect solution 
of all questions for present conditions, and have 
wisely put up the most capable men of the coun- 
try from all parties for the positions of trust. 

"Their proposed constitution and code of laws 



160 CRATER OF GOLD 

provide: a check system that will prevent all 
graft; a merit system that removes unworthy 
public servants, high or low ; a labor system that 
gives all a chance to work, whether voluntary at 
the standard wage, or forcibly detained for treat- 
ment on account of perverted intellect or evil 
habits; a taxation that will supply the Public 
Service with plenty of means to carry out increas- 
ing public enterprise without injury to private 
enterprise; a more elaborate system of Public 
Service schools, and records of those preparing 
for positions of trust; sanitariums for the free 
treatment of the afflicted and habit fiends ; exclu- 
sive control of all drugs, narcotics and intoxi- 
cants; and a strict quarantine of all afflicted with 
contagion, especially the foul diseases of men and 
women that injure posterity. 

"Friends, we have most of these institutions 
and regulations now, and the results are so satis- 
factory that no party has proposed a radical 
change. The people are happy and more honest. 
It is stated as a fact that three-fourths of the 
inmates of the habit cure institutions presented 
themselves for treatment, and one-half of those 
on detention farms and in detention factories and 
schools are there voluntarily. 

"Thirty-six years of the people's rule has so 
improved the health of the minds of our people 
that insanity has decreased until we can safely 
figure on using three-fourths of our insane asy- 
lums for other purposes. 



CRATER OF GOLD 161 

"There is no danger for us in this election, but 
in the hght of experience and after careful study 
of all the provisions of the various propositions 
before us, it is up to us for our welfare and the 
onward march of humanity to vote for the best. 
As I am fully convinced that this time the social- 
ists have proposed the most complete and feasible 
scheme for the continuance of a just government, 
and the perpetuation to all time of the principle 
of majority consent to all laws and the right to a 
change of laws or systems without hindrance from 
great capitalists, or the action of despots, backed 
by armed force, I shall vote for, and urge the 
adoption of the socialist's constitution and code 
of laws." 

Thinks I, that is some speech, but I had noth- 
ing to say. 

The Congregationalist minister. Rev. Hope, 
then arose and said: "Beloved Friends and 
Neighbors : The church no longer claims infalli- 
bility of creeds, or man's interpretations of the 
scriptures, nor denies the right to freedom of 
thought. We admit that man is hardly to blame 
for what he is ; for it is plain that he is a creature 
of circumstances. 

"Instead of punishing, we must teach, we must 
educate. Instead of blaming the poor, perverted 
human being, we must find the cause of his per- 
version and remove that. 

"The church claims that there is an all-wise 

plan in the evolution of man and that all things 

11 



162 CRATER OF GOLD 

exist for a purpose ; that miserj^ persecution and 
all evil are the results of the disobedience of law, 
known or unknown, and have served their pur- 
pose in teaching man the truth and this is all 
according to the law of God. If such things 
exist against the will of God that would prove 
that He is not supreme. 

"Man has been working out his own salvation 
and has received the truth and law only as fast 
as he was able to understand. The scripture 
shows the gradual change in man and holds out 
the hope for immortality and a better day when 
all will understand and be at peace. This hope 
has sustained man through the long night until 
now we see the dawn of the better day. This 
hope of eternal life and a God of Love still sus- 
tains man in the time of his troubles and bereave- 
ments. 

"Our faith in the constancy of all law and jus- 
tice and a just reward to him who is faithful is 
the great cause of our onward advance. 

"Let us all beware and take care that we cast 
an intelligent vote in November and secure for 
ourselves and all mankind the greatest blessing 
within our reach. But whatever may result, let 
us hope that all is for the best and time will prove 
and bring to pass that which will redound to our 
welfare and God's will be done." 

Father Francis of the Catholic Church said: 
"My Good Neighbors: I heartily agree with 
Rev. Hope. No doubt the church blundered 



CRATER OF GOLD 163 

during those dark days and clung to old doctrines 
and forms; but it was the life-boat in a sea 
strewn with wrecks. It was the only port of 
hope for man, and stood valiantly in the storm as 
a guide to all in their desolation. 

"We do not know why anything is. We be- 
lieve and hope for many things. We have always 
claimed that man must work out his own salva- 
tion; that he must choose for himself, and if he 
chose aright, God will help him. We believe that 
that is true. So, if in the November election, we 
choose aright, God will help us ; but if we choose 
wrongly, the misery caused will assist us to find 
the right and secure God's blessing at last. 

"I have seen enough to have faith in the ability 
of the people to do that which will continue the 
work so well advanced, and I have decided that 
Mr. James Archer's advice to vote the socialist 
ticket is right. Their code of laws is simple and 
plain, and will best enable us to live in peace and 
redeem our fallen brothers and sisters. 

"I am glad that I am here tonight. It gives 
me great joy to see the charity and honesty of 
purpose that exists in the hearts of all. Love, 
justice and teaching in the place of greed, injus- 
tice and punishment will make this world a para- 
dise. 

"O God, I have no ill will toward any one. 
Give me power to lead the wayfaring to the light 
of thy judgment." 

It looked like preachers here had good sense; 
but I said nothing. 



164 CRATER OF GOLD 

Mr. Oldwheat said: "My brother-in-law, 
James Archer, has declared for the socialist 
ticket, but as for me, I am pretty well satisfied 
with the present laws, and as the progressives 
have put up amendments that cover most of the 
questions of reform needed now, I think the pro- 
gressive's plan will continue the improvement of 
our system and prevent the unsettled conditions 
that must follow such a radical change as pro- 
posed by the socialists. 

"The progressives stand the best chance to re- 
ceive a majority vote, and in order that we may 
get these amendments, I advise all to vote the 
progressive ticket. 

"I am not a speaker, but you see what I mean. 
If we do not get a majority vote, our present 
constitution and laws hold good for twelve years 
longer." 

Prof. Strange said: "Excuse me, Mr. Old- 
wheat, the constitution provides that the electors 
can vote each amendment separate^, for or 
against, and so we can amend the constitution 
and laws to guide the supervisors in control, even 
if no party gets a majority vote. You can vote 
for the socialists and also for what amendments 
you desire on any ticket. Then, even if no new 
code is adopted, the reforms continue." 

District Judge Postem said: "Friends and 
Fellow Citizens: It appears that the socialists 
are in the lead here, and I have observed that 
such is the case all over my district. Do not let 



CRATER OF GOLD 165 

the name scare you. We are all socialists, 
always have been to the extent that we have 
worked together to carry on government, schools, 
mails, harbor improvements, etc. Party name 
signifies nothing. The question is just how far 
shall the government go in this co-operation. We 
now have the government, or the people, em- 
barked in an extensive industrialism, which is 
proving a success beyond our expectations. 

"It represents what the socialist party taught 
for many years before the great change in our 
form of government. 

"It has proven that we need not fear a well- 
laid plan that has been worked out in detail 
guided by our experience of late years, when we 
remember how easily we passed from the old to 
the new, thirty-six years ago. 

"If you are convinced that any one of these 
plans is better than our present system, vote for 
it. I can see no reason why you can not con- 
scientiously vote the socialist ticket this year." 

Mr. Fred Best, a farmer in town for the night, 
asked permission to express a few ideas. He 
said: 

"Ladies and Gentlemen: I came to town 
today to do some marketing and pay my govern- 
ment interest. Mr. Oldwheat kindly invited me 
here, and I feel thankful to have the pleasure of 
being present at such a meeting of leading citi- 
zens and see such unity of purpose. 

"I am eighty years old and was a life-long 



166 CRATER OF GOLD 

republican of the old school. I was made to 
believe in the prohibitive tariff fallacy and capi- 
talistic misrule. I was a carpenter and always 
thought that if the republican party were de- 
feated that the country would go to the dogs. 
When the present system carried, I was filled 
with dismay, though I had failed to make a decent 
living at my trade. We old republicans know, 
now, that we were mistaken. Why we tried to 
regulate the trusts with trust-made laws, laws 
that were secured by the bribery of legislators and 
courts. 

"The people thought that they were the rulers, 
but, in fact, they had not much to say, and were 
never permitted to get amendments to the con- 
stitution or any laws that could not be twisted 
to suit the great robbing syndicates. 

"The masses were driven into a condition of 
misery and desperation that caused the crimes, 
degraded character and insanity so prevalent in 
those days. This suffering served a purpose. It 
was this that secured the majority vote for the 
new form of government. This experience 
teaches us to ever be in favor of improvements 
that ameliorate the conditions of the suffering, 

"At the quadrennial election in 19 — , the peo- 
ple voted the amendment to give out land in five 
to forty acre tracts to citizens only, at a rental of 
four per cent of the assessed value, the improve- 
ments to remain untaxed and the property of the 
renter. 



CRATER OF GOLD 167 

"I rented the ten acres on which I have lived 
ever since. I have been able to live and put 
away plenty to meet the wants of old age. I 
have not many years left me, but I want to warn 
all voters to keep posted and try to vote for that 
which will best continue an ever-increasing bet- 
terment of the conditions of man. Whatever 
you do, never again delegate the law-making 
power to a few men and expect them to represent 
you. 

"The public markets have been a great benefit 
to the producers in dispensing their goods. It 
regulates the private commission houses automat- 
ically just as the public enterprises have regu- 
lated the trusts in all other lines. 

"Why, in the old days of government favor- 
itism, some banks made as high as twelve hundred 
per cent upon their capital stock. All the bank- 
ers united and formed a gigantic money power 
to perpetuate their advantages by bribing the 
so-called representatives of the people. This was 
all proven in 1912 and had much to do with 
bringing on the great reform. Friends, I thank 
your for your courtesy." 

Then a dignified old gentleman, William Flo- 
rine, a retired banker, arose, as he said, "for a few 
remarks." He said: 

"Friends : Well may we be proud of this day. 
I was at the head of a large National Bank in 
those good old days that were so good for a few 
of us who were cunning enough to get control of 



168 CRATER OF GOLD , 

the wealth of the country and manipulate the 
affairs of government to our own advantage. 

"Like Mr. Best says, it was a dismal outlook 
that faced us in 19 — ; but we were powerless to 
oppose a majority vote and a raving populace 
who were determined at all hazard to try the new 
system. I admit now that I was mistaken, and 
improvements along the same lines as we now 
have should be well considered. 

"The supervisors are given rather small pay 
for the service they render ; but it seems that the 
best of men are anxious to serve their country 
and fellow men. They prize the gold medals of 
honor that are given for faithful service. Prof. 
Strange just told me that his medal of 'Well 
done, thou good and faithful servant,' was most 
precious to him. 

"Results show us that we are on the right road 
for the redemption of mankind. Look at labor. 
Prior to the change in government, a daj^'s labor 
would buy $2.50 in gold; now a day's labor will 
buy $30 in gold ; then three days' board, now ten 
days' board ; then two bushels of wheat, now six ; 
then fifty pounds of flour, now two hundred 
pounds ; then three bushels of potatoes, now eight 
bushels of potatoes, and so on. 

"In those times, laborers were out of employ- 
ment much of their time and unable to find work ; 
they became desperate and were forced to com- 
mit what were called crimes in order to live; but 
now work is always furnished and desperation is 
a thinff of the past. 



CRATER OF GOLD 169 

"Our present system has removed nine-tenths 
of the diseases, crimes, lewdness, and insanity that 
pestered this poor world, and has brought health 
and plenty beyond our fondest dreams. 

"After the reform came, we old republicans 
and the democrats formed a new party under the 
name Conservative, with hope that we might save 
the country. I have been a Conservative all these 
years since then, but this election, God sparing 
me, I shall vote for the reform code proposed by 
the socialists." 

I thought here is a wonder, an old republican, 
later a conservative, but now in the name of God 
he had become a socialist. I was getting uneasy ; 
but I kept still. 

Philip Sundine, an honest old German, said 
that he was glad that the reform had come ; that 
his children were doing fine, one son in the Pub- 
lic Service, and that he got his beer from the 
Public Service Dispensary, but that he knew that 
he must not make a public show of himself while 
drinking, nor give it away to others. 

Mr. Oldwheat's family of youngsters were am- 
bitious to prepare themselves for the Public 
Service. Glenn and Archer, the two oldest of 
the sons, were engaged in the wholesale business 
and were doing well, still they were ready to 
accept positions in the service of the people. 
Esther, the oldest daughter, is the wife of Rev. 
Hope, and hand in hand with her husband, they 
work for the spiritual uplift of the people. Susie 



170 CRATER OF GOLD 

Oldwheat and younger children are at home at- 
tending the schools. Susie is a graduate of the 
Glenden college and is attending the Public 
Service school to put herself on the list of eli- 
gibles for a position, either in the clerical or music 
line. 

As this is not a love story, little need that you 
should know how pretty she is, or what is the 
color of her eyes. She is a sensible young lady 
of eighteen to whom life is worth living, and it 
is to be supposed that the world will benefit by 
the good that she will do as a kind mother to her 
children and a loving wife to some man. Let us 
hope that the one who wins her love is a man, and 
not a perverted hypocrite. 



CHAPTER II 

Susie went to the library one day and informed 
Prof. Strange that she would like for him to tell 
her about the old constitution and how they were 
ever able to make such a great change. "Why, 
Papa and Mama are so afraid of a change in gov- 
ernment! I am anxious to know how it was 
done. I want the whole truth from you." 

The Professor answered : "I take great pleas- 
ure in explaining this to you as near as my mem- 
ory will serve me. The old constitution provided 
for three departments of government: Execu- 
tive, or enforcing the laws ; Legislative, or making 
laws; Judicial, or interpreting the law, that is, 
deciding what the law is. 

"The great trouble was that the people could 
not get amendments to their constitution, or laws 
that they wanted. Only a few men, called rep- 
resentatives of the people, could make laws, and 
the people were never allowed an opportunity to 
change these powers. Though these men were 
supposed to represent the people, the money 
power controlled them and prevented any action 
that could not be turned to the advantage of 
those avaricious money grabbers. 

"It is true that many reformers, as well as 
faddists, fanatics, and grafters, were elected to 

171 



172 CRATER OF GOLD 

the legislatures and Congress ; but they would all 
hobnob, pat each other on the back, buy and 
swap votes and pass a whole bunch of trouble- 
some and useless laws to harrass a long suffering 
people, but seldom a chance was given the people 
to vote on what should be law. I have known as 
high as over three thousand of these worthless 
measures before one legislature (Cal. 1913) 
which only confounded the people. 

"This imperfect constitution was in force over 
a hundred years, but could not be amended, 
though the people were calling for amendments 
and change." 

Susie: "Why, Mr. Strange! The constitu- 
tion that I read gave twenty amendments!" 

Prof. Strange: "Yes, that is so, but, you see, 
ten of these were granted as a part of the consti- 
tution to secure its ratification by the States, one 
regulated the election of President and Vice- 
President, one in regard to United States judges, 
three resulted from the great Civil War, and the 
last five were forced by the great progressive 
movement which paved the way for the great 
change in the form of our government. 

"In those old days, everything was done to 
make the rich richer, and subject the masses to 
extreme poverty. At last, a few got about all 
the wealth and combined to form a powerful 
oligarchy. The masses were driven to despera- 
tion and insanity. Terror was in their hearts. 
Children were made to work like slaves. 



CRATER OF GOLD 173 

"A few men began to cry aloud, 'Let the people 
rule.' Later, good men in all parties, Roosevelt, 
Wilson, Bryan, Raker, Johnson, Mitchell, Bris- 
tow, Calvin, Palmer, and many others demanded 
amendments and oft repeated, *Let the people 
rule.' These progressives became so strong in 
all parties that many grafting politicians claimed 
to be progressive. This all culminated in the 
new party of that name. 

"There was so much wretchedness and discon- 
tent that something had to be done. 

"By 19 — , all pretended to be in favor of rad- 
ical means to catch the vote. The money power 
magnates were always quiet and cunning in their 
work, and supposed it was a good move for them 
to support or acquiesce in a resolution that was 
offered in Congress to settle all questions by 
allowing each party to prepare and present in 
full its idea of a constitution and general laws, 
and submit them to the people for a decision. 
This resolution provided that a majority vote 
would be sufficient to adopt a new law. 

"This started everybody to thinking. The 
question was carried to the Supreme Court, which 
ruled that the resolution must be ratified as an 
amendment to the constitution to give the major- 
ity vote of the people force to change it. 

"The money power banked on the Supreme 
Court and expected to bribe the legislatures of 
the States and prevent the amendment as they 
had done so often, but the people had suffered 



174 CRATER OF GOLD 

too long for that. The amendment was ratified 
and became a part of the constitution. 

"The syndicate magnates felt sure that no 
great reform could win a majority with so many 
plans in the race, or they expected that the demo- 
crats would win on the old constitution with but 
few amendments. 

"The socialists proposed industrializing all 
wealth, in the interest of the whole people, and 
went so far in vague and uncertain propositions, 
that they even lost the socialist vote. 

"This enabled the progressives with practically 
the same scheme as we now have to get the ma- 
jority vote. You see they proposed government 
ownership of enterprises sufficient, at least, to give 
all unemployed work, but did not interfere with 
private enterprises. They proposed to do this 
with an inheritance tax, and income and land tax. 
Some duties were to be collected to give business 
a chance to adjust itself, also, to allow reciprocity 
to work out a free-trade policy. 

"At first, the people were stunned. This was 
the most exciting campaign of our history. Great 
and good men and women were won to the cause. 
Some of the wealthiest saw the Light of a better 
day. The socialists, except a few radicals, swung 
into line. The money power and the democrats 
got scared and flooded the country with money 
for bribery ; but this served as a boomerang, and 
to cut this talk short, the great Reform won. 

"Your grand-parents at first were in great 



CRATER OF GOLD 175 

fear. I had put in a lot of study upon the new 
idea and assured them that the laws were good 
and written in simple English so that the people 
could be their own lawyers, and that all the ma- 
chinery of government was well provided for 
running along smoothly, then they became enthu- 
siastic supporters of the New System. 

"You don't see great lawyers nowadays mak- 
ing enormous fees for covering up the tracks of 
outrageous, rich beneficiaries of reckless and dis- 
reputable deals by twisting the law and quoting 
precedents. Now, the law of the people, with- 
out precedent, tempered with equity and mercy, 
is the guidance for decisions of judges and juries. 

"We do not kill a man, but detain him and 
bear with him kindly, that no child may ever 
have its mind vitiated by such a horrible deed as 
a public murder, and thereby be taught to justify 
such an act. We give one a chance to Uve, work 
and reform. 

"Then, besides the United States law, there 
were forty- eight State laws ; and common law, or 
customs and precedents, which made a multi- 
plicity of laws and law procedure, a tangled mess 
that caused uncertain litigation and a rich harvest 
for the lawyers who were trying to prevent law 
enforcement or a just settlement of disputes. 
Such a mix-up required a large army of judges 
to try to figure out and decide what was law. 
Now, all law is plain and the same in all parts of 
the country. 



176 CRATER OF GOLD 

"Besides the numerous detention farms and 
schools all over the country, we have one large, 
well equipped detention farm and school where 
all naturally perverted characters and murderers 
are detained, kindly dealt with, taught and given 
work at a minimum wage. They are set free 
when the United States Commission of experts 
find that a reformation has been accomplished. 

"We have no panics now, or lack of employ- 
ment, and the great majority of the poor who 
used to wander and become victims of dens of 
vice and filled the penitentiaries and poor houses, 
are now marrying and living peaceful, moral 
lives. This has settled the great immoral vice 
question. 

"There are many things of that time too bad 
to relate. There was such brutality in the name 
of the Lord and the law that I pause and think 
it best to tell you no more." 

Susie: "Oh, I am so thankful, Mr. Strange, 
for your kindness in telling me about this. I 
know you would tell nothing but the truth. I'll 
be a better citizen and voter now. You have 
made my duty plain and I respect and love you." 

Prof. Strange: "Just one more idea. Here 
in my secretary is a statement that I prepared 
forty years ago. 

"Costs of the blessings of government in the 
United States, States, counties, townships and 
cities about two billion dollars a year. 

"What does that mean? 



CRATER OF GOLD 177 

"One hundred and seventy-five car loads of 
gold, 40,000 pounds to the car, a freight train 
over a mile in length; 2,800 car loads of silver, a 
freight train about twenty miles in length. 

"Do you know, Susie, with all our government 
enterprises now and the vast number that are in 
the Public Service and with twice the population, 
this expense is five times the amount needed now 
to carry on all our enterprises and administer the 
affairs of government ? There is much of my old 
argument in this desk. Look them over at your 
pleasure." 

Mrs. Oldwheat came into the library and said : 
"Well, Susie likes to listen to you, Professor, just 
the same as I did long ago." 

Susie: "He makes everything so plain. He 
has been telling me about those wretched times 
in the United States." 

Prof. Strange : "Susie has never seen nor can 
hardly comprehend the wrongs you and I had to 
endure. Mary, your mother, was gentle and con- 
siderate and set a good example that protected 
her children from much of the folly of society 
and vice. She would require her boys to leave 
their handkerchiefs out of their pockets to get 
them washed, as she would not go through any 
one's pockets. Her children learned not to be 
curious and meddle with others." 

Mrs. Oldwheat: "Mother would not read our 
letters, nor open father's letters, and by her exam- 
ple, we learned to attend to our own business. 

12 



178 CRATER OF GOLD 

It makes me uneasy the way some people do, so 
curious that they must tear open their husband's 
letters, read over people's backs and peek into 
everything. People, on an average, are better 
than they used to be, but my! it just looks like 
a hopeless task to make this world fit for chil- 
dren." 

Prof. Strange: "I don't know. You have 
succeeded pretty well. Your older ones are out 
for themselves and doing well. Susie, here, is 
the best young lady that I know, and if I were 
sixty years younger, she would be the lady for 
me." 

Mrs. Oldwheat: "Just the same as ever. You 
could never see much fault in the worst boys and 
girls. You would claim that they were pretty 
good — just happened to do a little wrong, but 
did not mean any harm, and so on. It worked 
good in those horrid times and the Lord knows 
that I learned more from you than anybody how 
to handle my own children. Now they will do 
anything for Mother." 

Prof. Strange: "Mary, the facts are: the 
child comes into this world a little bundle of unde- 
veloped faculties, inherited from the ages of the 
past, its mind is a blank book in which no impres- 
sions have ever been stamped; the pages of this 
book are pliable and easily stamped with impres- 
sions that as easily disappear, or may be so deep 
as to last a lifetime ; all these impressions or ideas 
result from contact with surroundings and the 



CRATER OF GOLD 179 

struggle for existence; every idea is carried to 
the pages of this book through the five senses; 
like to the primitive man, to the child all things 
are wonderful and unaccountable; only experi- 
ence, in actual practice in the use of knowledge 
gained by seeing, feeling, hearing, tasting, or 
smelling enables the child to form ideas and learn 
to reason ; the child can never have a thought, or 
do any act that is not the result of inheritance or 
life's environments. 

"As the child has its inheritance of the ages, 
and its environments thrust upon it, is it hardly 
responsible for its faults? We must conclude 
that if conditions produce bad results that there 
is no remedy except to change the conditions. 
We must strike down the causes that are pervert- 
ing the human intellect. 

"A remedy that seeks to remove evil by wreak- 
ing vengeance upon individual victims only ag- 
gravates and sinks the victims down in their evil 
nature; but a remedy that seeks to remove the 
causes of evil, such as greed, deceit, cruelty, etc., 
and substitute in their stead good impressions 
such as love, honesty, mercy, and a desire to serve 
mankind, can redeem humanity. 

"Faith and rites, or forms without quitting the 
wrong doing are of no avail. We must find the 
law and obey it." 

Mrs. Oldwheat: "I declare! Professor, you 
make me feel like a sinner for omitting to study 
more than I have to be sure what is law. Why 



180 CRATER OF GOLD 

not organize a society for the express purpose of 
teaching the law and drop all that is nonsense?" 

Prof. Strange: "We may be able to do so." 

Mrs. Oldwheat: "I am willing to join such a 
society, though I believe in lots of the church 
work." 

Prof. Strange: "Evil traits of mind that re- 
main dormant in parents are often inherited by 
the child so strong that it requires much example 
and teaching to overcome them. This reversion 
to the nature of some wild prehistoric ancestor 
requires that we should study the child carefully 
as to what to do. 

"Every mind has a consciousness of its own 
and must 'Tread the wine-press alone.' 

"The progressives, guided by the Star of 
Hope, builded better than thej^ knew when they 
proposed that all reforms must recompense losers 
in business and take care of the victims of the 
old abuse. This has prevented narrow-minded 
persecutions and permitted independence of 
thought and conduct. No one knows even what 
his own child or lifemate may do." 

Mrs. Oldwheat: "Yes, and they provided for 
a story of the Bible and only quote what is pure 
for children to read. The Bible is kept only in 
libraries, or for grown students and grown peo- 
ple." 

Prof. Strange: "That was a great day when 
the people awoke to a consciousness of their 
wrongs and brought forth such great good for 
this world." 



CRATER OF GOLD l8l 

And here I butted in. "Professor, this play 
of the future makes this present time look bar- 
barous, and — " 

The Professor jumped to his feet and excitedly 
exclaimed: "What can that mean? Where did 
that come from?" Mrs. Oldwheat and Susie 
were so frightened that I awoke to find myself 
in bed at my retreat. 



CHAPTER III 

I felt around for a match and lit the lamp. 
Wide awake, my mental faculties were strained 
to a high tension. What a vivid dream ! I saw 
those people, heard their speeches and knew their 
names. I can see them now. What does such 
a dream mean ? The wild fantasy of a troubled 
and restless brain ! 

Can it be that the philosophy of olden times 
is right and dreams and visions have a meaning? 

I do not know why we dream, think or recol- 
lect. There must be a cause, a source, or reason 
for all these things that is beyond the mind of 
man. 

The unsophisticated who with veneration ac- 
cept all that is as the all-wise plan of a Supreme 
Ruler and uncomplainingly submit to the law and 
bear with their lot, never attempting to fathom 
the unseen mysteries of creation, are more con- 
tent than those who enter the field of reason and 
try to solve the First Cause of all laws of life, 
motion and forces. 

Reason causes the finite mind of man to help- 
lessly knock at the door of Infinity, but there is 
no answer — the door has never been opened. 

A little reason is arrogant, and leads to many 
fallacious conclusions of false sophistries; but 
depths of reasoning force the greatest minds to 

182 



CRATER OF GOLD 183 

give up, and, as helplessly as a little child to pray 
for mercy and ask for Divine guidance in the 
ways of truth as far as is vouchsafed to man. 

The unsophisticated accept the attributes of 
God as set forth in some assumed revelation ; but 
with the philosopher the attributes of God are 
shown by the results of the application and use 
of laws and forces, and are made to agree with 
known facts ; or in the anguish of his own weak- 
ness in the throes of the awful thought of Infin- 
ity, the philosopher may drop his logic, and ac- 
cept some revelation that comes with much pomp 
and circumstance and assurances of infallability. 

The great philosophers and advanced reasoners 
of all times have not lived in vain. They gave 
their lives for the good of man and led the way. 

The originators of assumed revelations may 
have believed in themselves as intermediaries be- 
tween God and man; may have taken that 
method to better reach superstitious man with 
their messages; or they may have been accred- 
ited by their followers with deeds and powers that 
they did not claim. 

Weak man has ever been ready to deify many 
things and many men in his desire for a certainty 
in his hopes. Man has always wanted a sure 
thing and cast away doubt to his detriment. We 
should learn to doubt what is false and have faith 
in the truth. 

Be it as it may, the fact remains that many 
great truths have been taught by all these great 



184 CRATER OF GOLD 

teachers which paved the way for man's onward 
advance. All that has been is our foundation 
on which to build, and it is our duty to continue 
the building, stanch and strong, to unite all man- 
kind in one brotherhood under such rules and 
regulations that each will be content in serving 
all with the assurance that all will serve him in 
time of need. 

We surrender our liberty to the will of the 
majority to form a government for co-operative 
defense of our rights against the strong and cun- 
ning, and when any form of government fails 
to give this protection, it is our right to change 
to such form as will tend to the ends of justice. 

The "dream" suggests a new constitution and 
uniform laws without precedents, for the whole 
country; the great law of mutual responsibility 
for the welfare of all ; government ownership and 
control of sufficient enterprises to regulate the 
trusts automatically and give work to the unem- 
ployed ; that it is the people's right to decide what 
shall be law and many other useful suggestions. 

Can a system of government be invented that 
will be stable and provide for such a system of 
laws? 

No political party can win by vague sugges- 
tions. This reform party must formulate a com- 
plete system of laws and law procedure so plain 
and feasible that the people will be convinced 
that it will work before they will yield that which 
they now have and be in danger of unsettled 



CRATER OF GOLD 185 

government, bloodshed and anarchy. Some one 
will have to put in a long time at hard study and 
work to prepare the new scheme. 

The government ownership and control of pub- 
lic utilities opens up a great field for graft that 
will require serious consideration. If man could 
always be trusted, what a paradise we could make 
of this poor world! 

It may come, but, my fellow man, you must 
wake up to the fact that you must be worthy of 
trust in whatever position that you may hold. 

It can be done. There must be a way pro- 
vided to catch the unworthy public servant and 
take him to a nice home, treat him kindly, feed 
him Yiell and teach him that in faithful service 
he wins honor, respect and love, and that he 
would never be allowed to suffer want if the 
wheel of fortune turns against him. Make him 
see that such as he prevents man's advance to a 
just system of government. 

Teach these perverted intellects that to take 
care of them and prevent them from carrying on 
their chicanery, great burdens are piled on the 
backs of the people and a few are permitted to 
control, rob man of the products of his labor and 
secure the wealth of the country. 

If we are born in poverty, or we use poor judg- 
ment and lose our savings or our inheritance, we 
suffer poignantly. It makes us think. It makes 
us appreciate generosity. It makes us sympa- 
thetic and merciful. It shows us the meaning of 



186 CRATER OF GOLD 

charity, and makes us cry out for one more 
chance. Suffering has produced the noble quali- 
ties and the spiritual growth that is most needed 
in this world. This explains why a rich man has 
not much chance. His riches dull his sensibili- 
ties. His riches may make him independent, 
careless and avaricious. He thinks that because 
he is rich or was successful that all should have 
been successful — not reasoning that for every mil- 
lionaire there must be a thousand poor laborers. 

It takes submission and kindness of disposition 
to keep the poor from becoming desperate. It is 
strange that they are so resigned to their fate. 
It shows that man is naturally good, and if given 
a chance, he will choose the better way. 

So far in this world the strong and cunning 
have held sway and at no time has work been 
guaranteed to every one in the hour of need. No 
time has man been taken care of in the name of 
law, until too late, and then they bury him in the 
Potter's Field. Remember, this suffering of the 
poor cries aloud for justice, and many times in 
the history of this world it has caused the over- 
throw of Old Custom and brought forth advance 
and improvement in the condition of the people. 

Great minds and constructive geniuses spring 
from the poor as well as the rich, and it is about 
time for the new leader who can prepare the way 
for another epoch in human history. I am only 
the prophet of him who is to follow, and we know 
not the hour when he will come, and then there 



CRATER OF GOLD 187 

will be commotion, and a peaceable readjustment 
of the government of man. While the masses 
are broken in body by toil and the uncertainty of 
a living, their spirit is not crushed, and their 
minds are made ready for the sowing of the seed 
of the new teaching, or we may say for the cor- 
rect interpretation of the teaching of the Great 
Teacher. 

There are too many systems of law and law 
procedure and consequent graft and great ex- 
pense in securing results which may be more 
costly than the graft that might result from gov- 
ernment ownership. 

There is too much added to the cost of an arti- 
cle in the exchange from the producer to the 
consumer which supports too many non-pro- 
ducers. 

The "dream" suggests a stable currency based 
on labor and furnished to carry on business, with- 
out the drain on labor to mine the gold to supply 
the people with a costly exchange commodity 
that is constantly wearing out and must be re- 
placed — a continuous loss of labor that produces 
no necessity of life. 

This looks reasonable. The use of gold as 
money makes it a distinct commodity aside from 
gold, money, a legal tender for debt, which in- 
creases the demand for gold and gives it an 
enhanced value that it would not have as a com- 
modity on its merits, and without the use as a 
legal tender for debt it would sink low down in 
the market. 



188 CRATER OF GOLD 

The quantitive theory of money is correct, and 
as long as the increase of the production of gold 
continues its purchasing power will decrease and 
prices increase and laborers will suffer, as their 
wages are not advanced to correspond with the 
decrease in the purchasing power of their pay. 

Unless man gets wise enough to invent a sys- 
tem of money on a more stable basis than gold, 
and upon something that a few can not corner 
the supply to bring on panics and distress for 
their gain, the chains and bands of slavery for 
humanity are now being forged and riveted. AH 
that will be left for the masses will be to beg for 
the crumbs that fall from their masters' tables. 

What shall we do to be saved? We must keep 
our senses, be patient and not run amuck to kill 
any one. We must solve the problem. All peo- 
ple are good or have the essence of good within 
them. They are only bad to the extent that the 
system has made them so. 

Legislators and able men, under capitalistic 
rule and corruption, are beset with great tempta- 
tions, and many very good men have fallen. Op- 
portunity or poverty may tempt a good man to 
his ruin. He should be pitied and shown mercy. 
The causes of his downfall should receive our 
attention. 

That great patriot, who stormed the walls of 
Quebec and at Saratoga, struck the blow that 
gained us American Independence, under mis- 
treatment and in poverty fell. I have known 
men who professed religion and condemned this 



CRATER OF GOLD 189 

man (I do not deny that his act was wrong) , but 
sold their votes for one to five dollars a head. I 
bought them. Were they or I much better than 
Benedict Arnold? 

We are tempted to buy our way to the legis- 
lature or Congress, get up a threatening bill, and 
sell out to make ourselves safe for life in this 
brutal contest for supremacy. 

We live in a time and in a country where the 
majority rules, and until a majority vote can be 
secured, we must submit and peaceably continue 
our teaching and bear with our lot. 

An inheritance tax of one-half of all estates 
would relieve the congestion of money and prop- 
erty, and a four per cent land tax would regulate 
land values. Our tariff taxation should be used 
as a leverage to force reciprocity on the world 
and bring about universal free trade. Such tax- 
ation would give the people's government plenty 
of money to engage in enterprises that would con- 
trol the markets and guarantee labor to those in 
need and not forbid private enterprises. 

Can a new system of government be invented 
that will give justice to all and protect the weak 
against oppressions and develop good men and 
women ? 

We must begin to figure what shall be the 
form of the new constitution. 

Why not Initiative Commissions and have all 
laws referred to the people and form the Legis- 
lative Branch of the Public Service? 



190 CRATER OF GOLD 

Why not a Supreme Council of ten members 
to enforce the will of the people and form the 
Executive Branch of the Public Service? 

Why not a Supreme Court, United States 
District, County and Precinct Courts to interpret 
the law of the people and form the Judicial 
Branch of the Public Service? 

Why not a Supervisory Board composed of 
the Supervisors of the Departments of the Public 
Utilities and form the Public Utility Branch of 
the Public Service? 

Why not discontinue the expense of support- 
ing over twenty thousand legislators who are a 
menace to our welfare? 

Why not let State pride die a natural death 
and provide for county, city and precinct organ- 
ization for the purpose of administering the Peo- 
ple's laws, and emphasize our duty to serve the 
whole country? 



CRATER OF GOLD 191 



NO CHANGE FOR THE OLD 

No change in my purse, 

No change in my life, 
No chance to get on 

And win in the strife; 
Too old to get work, 

Too young yet to die, 
I'll wobble along 

For another try. 

Before I get work 

There'll be an exam. 
And as I'm too old. 

They'll give me a slam. 
U. S. or the trusts. 

It makes little dif. 
The old have no chance — 

They're in for a biff. 

How long, O my Lord, 

How long will it last. 
The old who is poor 

Must be an outcast! 
No justice in that, 

A fact plainly seen, 
If man had some sense 

Or wasn't so darn mean. 



192 CRATER OF GOLD 



THE HOMESTEADER'S HOPE 

I am toiling, sweetheart, I am toiling for thee, 
Though the time is so long and I am so lonely; 
I am looking so grey, I'm so wearied each day, 
I'm desiring to quit and forget this lone play. 
Out here trying to make us a farm for a home 
I am toiling each day, and I'm living alone. 
Still I'm longing, just longing for you and the day. 
When my task will be o'er and you're with me to 
stay. 

But the waiting for crops that unwillingly grow. 
And this looking for deals that are coming out 

slow. 
Making times very tight and my debts hard to 

right, 
You may think I'm not doing as much as I might 
To get ready for you our new home in the West. 
I assure you, sweetheart, I am doing my best. 
Still I'm longing, just longing for you and the day, 
When my task will be o'er and you're with me to 

stay. 

O the sun shines so bright in this land of the West, 
Near the shade of Mount Lassen's volcanical crest. 
Where all nature out west is producing the best, 
Which encourages one to continue his quest 
For the richest of land and the finest of gold, 
As these mountains are filled with these riches 

untold. 
Still I'm longing, just longing for you and the day. 
When my task will be o'er and you're with me to 

stay. 



THE CABIN DWELLERS 

The writer visited Meddar, a typical example 
of many towns of the West that have seen pros- 
perous dsiys but the cause of their prosperity hav- 
ing vanished, these towns are left with few in- 
habitants and many empty cabins and dilapidated 
houses. 

These cabins are used by transients and the 
wayfaring. Every winter generally finds several 
of them occupied by prospectors and poor fellows 
who batch and get through the winter months as 
best they can waiting for better weather to con- 
tinue their respective employments. 

I made the acquaintance of several cabin 
dwellers in Meddar who were in the habit of 
visiting each other and whiling away the long 
winter evenings with story-telling and glowing 
accounts of their past achievements. 

One evening I called on an honest and hos- 
pitable German, Fred Witte, by name. 

Soon several of the cabin dwellers came and 
all arranged themselves around a good fire. 

Mr. Witte is a very large man, not tall but 
wide out, one-fourth of a thousand in weight. 
He settled back in his big, improvised easy chair 
made out of a pine box. "Veil, poys, dis ist 
purty much like vinter. Id makes me think of 

13 193 



194 CRATER OF GOLD 

der vinter dot Dally Marcus came to Butte, dot 
vas pefore I got in troubles mit mine voomans. 
Dot proke me up now until I gets her paid off, 
aber dots not der story I vill tell. A firm in 
Verginia City grub-staked Dally Marcus, gave 
him a horse and pack mule to make der trip to 
Butte. His horse died at Pocatello and Marcus 
valked on from dare till he came to old Cochura's 
place. Py colly, he valked two hundred mile. 
I knew Cochura veil. Marcus found Cochura 
digging in a hole apout thirty feet deep. Marcus 
saidt, *How does id look down dare?' Cochura 
saidt, *Vell, I don't know aber I think id purty 
good.' Marcus asked to go down und Cochura 
saidt, 'Let der stranger down,' dot to der wind- 
lass man. Veil, Marcus vent down dare und 
lookt aroundt und dey vare hauled oudt. Mar- 
cus, he says, 'How much you dake for dis hole?' 
Cochura saidt, 'I haf lots of holes aroundt hare, 
over dare, und oudt hare, I vill dake one hundred 
dollars for dis hole.' Marcus saidt, 'I haf no 
hundred dollars aber I haf a mule hare worth 
more'n a hundred, I vill gif dot mule for dis 
hole.' 

*'Der trade vas made und Marcus wrote back 
to his backers vot he had done und vanted to hire 
men und go to vork right avay. Dey wrote to 
him to go aheadt, money ist coming. 

"Py colly, dot vas der pekinning of der great 
Golconda Copper Mine und Dally Marcus died 
vorth over eighty million dollars." 




"Gold is where yovi find it." — Pago 195 



CRATER OF GOLD 195 

Harry Berger: "Well, I have a homestead 
out here in the mountains and this winter I am 
taking my five months off which you know is 
allowed by the government. I am sticking 
around Meddar for what work I may get until 
Spring. (Gee — ^whiskey! but don't that wind 
blow! It has just commenced. Well, it will 
blow now for three days, that is, it generally 
blows three days before we get a change.) I 
have prospected around in these mountains and 
found no sign of gold or any mineral of any 
value. The formations are not right here. This 
section of the country is no good for prospec- 
tors." 

Dan Mesner: "Gold is where you find it. 
There may be lots of it in these mountains. I 
spent fifteen years in this part of the world. I 
owned that big store here that L. D. Burke is 
running now. Five years ago my wife raised 
h — and sued for a divorce. I took to drink and 
what she did not get, I have squandered in gam- 
bling and rambling. 

"I have been away four years, but I heard that 
my boy was up here (he's fourteen now), and I 
came up to try to see him. I would like to see 
my boy. 

"It was pretty tough to face my old friends 
here, but here is where I made money, and I'll 
try it again. There's gold here. Don't I know 
that Golden Dick used to bring in piles of nug- 
gets and always had lots of gold. That Indian 



196 CRATER OF GOLD 

was too cute to let any of the Indians or whites 
find out where he got his gold. I know where his 
cabin was ri^ht over that mountain about ten 
miles from here." 

Bud Wise: "I have spent several years here, 
Dan, and I always supposed that this Indian 
gambled for his money or robbed. He killed a 
Chinaman for his purse down here in this valley. 
He killed old man Howe, cut his head off and 
carried it ten miles over into the hills to hide it. 

"You know how he admitted all of this before 
the mob strung him up?" 

Dan Mesner: "Yes, but I tell you that I 
know that this Indian had some place where he 
would go for a few days and return with a pile 
of nuggets and gold dust. It's a cinch that there 
is a rich gold field somewhere in this region. To 
find it is the question. 

"I'll make it again. I have not given up yet. 
I have a piece of drift here that assays three 
thousand free gold to the ton. I picked it up 
over there close to Eagle Peak. I have spent 
considerable time trying to find the mother lode. 
If ever I find that ledge, I'll be worth millions. 

"I am buying stock now in new mines at low 
down prices as much as I can spare and live. I 
stand a chance to get in on a winner." 

Witte : "Py colly, I nef er made much on min- 
ing stocks and I haf bought fifty tousand shares. 
Yes, I made five hundred vunce. Dare vas a 
mortgage on mine mine of two tousand to Jim 



CRATER OF GOLD 197 

McCann und it vas due. Py colly! I did not 
haf the money to pay Jim. I saw Jim coming 
und I tinks he vill vant his money. He sits 
down py the fire und talks. He picks up der 
paper dost schust come in und reads dot John 
Burns, who vas so careless mit powder, struck a 
rich vein in his mine und 'Golden Fleece' vas 
going up. Veil, I heard Burns talking and blow- 
ing ven he vas drunk at Butte und der reporter 
standing dare took it down. So I knew dot dis 
newspaper talk vas no good, but schust let 
McCann vork it oudt for himself. 

"He says, Tred, you got some Golden 
Fleece?' I saidt, *Yes, I am lucky to haf three 
tousand.' He says, 'How much ist it vorth? I 
vant some und I vill puy of you.' 

"I pretended dot I did not vant to sell. He 
says, *Den you haf her money to pay me?' I 
saidt, *Yes, I can pay you aber still a little more 
time vood gif me a better schance to carry on 
mine vork. The last time I noticed the quota- 
tions "Golden Fleece" vas seventy-five.' He 
says, *How much do you vant now?' I saidt, 
*Vell, I ought to have a little advance to spare 
dot stock now.' He says, 'I vill gif you seventy- 
five for one tousand shares und vait six months 
for der balance of mine pay.' 

"I did not vant to show dot I vas anxious, so 
I schust made oudt dot time to pay vas vorth a 
good deal to me, but he shood make it seventy-six 
and we vood use dere extra cent for peer und haf 



198 CRATER OF GOLD 

a good time mit dis deal. He grabbed dis deal 
quick. Ve fixed up der papers und sent ten dol- 
lars for peer. Py colly ! I got seven hundred und 
fifty dollars credit on mine debt und six months 
more time on der balance. 

"McCann vent to der post-office as he hadt 
time pefore der peer come. Veil, der peer come 
und so did McCann come back from der post- 
office. He hadt heardt dot der strike vas a fake 
piece of news und dot * Golden Fleece' vas quoted 
at one cent. He vanted to trade back aber I 
did not vant der stock. He did not know dot 1 
knew dot der newspaper talk vas a fake und we 
enchoyed der peer." 

Mesner: "That's the way it goes. No one 
knows what mine may win, nor what one may be 
a bad speculation. Gold is where you find it. 

"I think it was in 1905 that along in the winter 
about this time of the year, an old school teacher, 
Abe Carson, came to me for work in the store 
here. There was not much doing, never is this 
time of the year. I told him that I could not 
pay him much, but if he could do the work around 
the store, I would pay him a little and board him, 
thirty dollars a month and board. I would not 
give anybody less than that. Well, he went to 
work and I must say that he was an honest and 
good man for me. I paid him each month and 
he would buy mining stock with every cent of his 
wages. He bought stock at three to ten that 
went up in a hurry. Some that he bought for 



CRATER OF GOLD 199 

ten sold for twenty-nine dollars within six 
months. What he bought the year that he was 
with me netted him eighty thousand dollars profit. 
So he soon left me and went to Goldfields, 
Nevada. He died the other day worth several 
millions." 

Hal Pickard : "By the way. Bud made over 
a hundred last night. He was too slick with the 
paste-boards for those traveling men." 

Bud Wise : "No — ^aw — I did not make much. 
Came out a few wheels ahead." 

Witte: "I nefer gamble." 

Dick Turley, the quiet, enigmatical party, said : 
"I don't believe in gambling. I do not want to 
risk my money when if I won I would give back 
or feel like giving back my winnings. I never 
try to get something for nothing. I will sing 
you a song, "The Toiler's Struggle.' " 

THE TOILER'S STRUGGLE 



I will sing you a song of the struggle of life, 
How man fights for a living is always in strife, 
With so many contending for jobs in his line, 
Underbidding the wages with trickery fine. 
Not much chance to get on in the world and live 

right 
With so much of his time out work in bad plight, 
He must wander around and be losing his time. 
iWhen the coin is all gone, hunger drives him to 

crime. 



200 CRATER OF GOLD 

Chorus 

Could my songs bring reforms in the customs and 

law 
That would help this poor fellow full justice to 

draw, 
I would sing and keep singing amidst the wild 

strife, 
I would sing and keep singing the rest of my life. 



Let me sing in plain rhyme what I feel and I know 
Of the toiler's hard struggle, his sin and his woe, 
How roams out of work on his way to some place. 
With his bed on his back, a disgrace to our race; 
All the money he makes is so easily spent 
And he dare not to beg any one for a cent. 
All the chance for him left is to starve or to steal. 
Put yourself in his place then you'll know how 
you'd feel. 



We know life is a fight for existence and right. 
And the weak may be trodden beneath the iron 
heel 
Of oppression's injustice or vanity's slight. 

And be robbed of inheritance and earthly weal; 
For the strong and the cunning secure for them- 
selves 
The advantages over the weak and the poor, 
And there'll be no escape for poor man till he 
delves 
Out the truth and reforms that will justice pro- 
cure. 



CRATER OF GOLD 201 

4 

May be some of these toilers are natur'ly bad, 

But so often they're made so by law that's unjust, 
Bad conditions, abuse, or no chance ever had 

To get on in the world and be worthy of trust; 
And they find the vile dens of corruption and vice 

That are licensed to carry on trade that destroys. 
Such conditions are causing a great sacrifice 

Of the morals of men and are ruining the boys. 



If conditions may cause so much trouble and vice, 
Then by changing conditions, removing the 
cause. 
We'll assist these poor fellows to think and to rise. 
To respect others' rights and to stand by our 
laws. 
Let subversion of mind and detention to teach 

Take the place of all crim'nal and penalty words, 
For the government's plan should propose what 
will reach 
The redemption of fallen, degraded mankind. 

This song received a hearty encore, but the 
story telling continued for the rest of the evening. 

Bud Wise: "Just as you are raised, I grew 
up in a Nevada mining camp where all the 
saloons had gambling games wide open. I was 
turned out of the public schools when I was thir- 
teen and went to work at the mines for three 
dollars a day. Men never worked for less than 
four to seven dollars. No attention was paid to 
boys then like now. Boys that could hardly 



202 CRATER OF GOLD 

reach to place their bets were allowed to play the 
games. 

"I tell you I started out young. I started for 
San Francisco with Tom Garvey when I was 
eighteen. Tom had a few hundred, I only had 
fifty-one dollars when we landed in Reno. Reno 
was wide open then. Tom took my money all 
away from me except one dollar. One dollar was 
all I had to shine in Reno. I placed it on the 
roulette table, number seventeen, and called the 
turn. I then wanted to let her ride and bet the 
thirty-six, but the game tender pinched it down 
to twenty, the limit. 

"Well, I called the turn three times and had a 
pile of money. Tom Garvey came up, grabbed 
the chips, claimed that he was my brother and 
told the game-tender to cash in. Tom took me 
out of there and when we counted up I had four- 
teen hundred and twenty-six dollars. I remem- 
ber it well. I chucked the money into my 
pockets. We caught the train and had a high 
time travehng up and down the coast. 

"Tom never gave me back the fifty. That was 
his rake off. Yes, by Joe, I commenced pretty 
young." 

Berger said jokingly, "Wahoo! O Joe! Bring 
in the shovel!" 

Bud Wise: "That story is no con, Berger. 
Many such things have happened among gam- 
blers." 

Mesner: "Bud, did you ever run across Jim 
May? Yes, he was quite a character. He 



CRATER OF GOLD 203 

tramped around several years a common hobo, 
but he got into a good job of assessment work 
and made a couple of thousand. 

"He came to Reno and was lucky gambling. 
One night I saw him place a fifty on the single O. 
The game tender pinched it down. May objected 
to a limit in the game, and the proprietor stepped 
up and took charge and pointed to the ceiling, 
enough to say there's no limit now, and said to 
May, *Bet your head off.' 

"May reached into his pocket and pulled out a 
crumpled up bill and threw it on the single O, 
and when the ball rolled into the single O on the 
wheel, the proprietor unrolled the bill and turned 
white in the face. It was a thousand dollar bill. 
The house dug up thirty-five thousand and paid 
the bet. Thirty-five to one, Jim May continued 
to gamble and was so lucky that before morning 
he owned the saloon and hotel and was running 
all the gambling games himself. He was one of 
the big guns of Reno after that. Everything 
that he touched turned to money." 

Berger: "Wahoo! O Joe! Bring in the 
shovel!" 

Mesner: "Berger don't believe our stories, 
Bud, but I tell you we know something about 
how fortune changed hands in Nevada during 
those days of speculation and risk." 

Hal Peckard: "Let Berger have his joke. 
I'll tell of an experience of mine. In my younger 
days I was in the real estate business in South 
Dakota. I got out a big blow up of the country, 



204 CRATER OF GOLD 

listed a lot of bargains and options in real estate, 
complimented the C, M. & St. P. Ry. and had 
fifty thousand copies printed for distribution. 
For this I was given free transportation over this 
road. 

"Well, this caused me to make many trips 
when I had done better to remain in my office and 
attend to business. One trip, I landed in Sioux 
City at midnight. It was Corn Palace week and 
the town was so full I could not find a bed. 

"I wandered into a gambling parlor and to 
pass away the time I took out a stack in a stud 
poker game. A game as you know, Mesner, the 
dealer sits in the center of a horseshoe-shaped 
table and deals out the hands. This was a large 
table and about a dozen were playing the game. 

"The dealer in those days took such a big rake- 
off that he generally got all the money unless one 
played a lively game, made a stake and quit 
before the dealer got a chance to rake it in. 

"As they play table stakes in this game, I took 
out a roll of bills. About fifty dollars I had on 
the table. I wanted to be ready for heavy bet- 
ting. The other players sized me up and some of 
them increased their table money, anticipating my 
intentions. 

"I played a few hands with varying success, 
then I got an ace in the hole. I bet a dollar — all 
stayed. Not one dropped out. The next card 
dealt me face up was an ace. So I had a pair 
of aces, back to back. I wanted to work up a big 
pot and felt my time had come to make a haul, 



CRATER OF GOLD 205 

and only bet five dollars on high card in sight. I 
wanted them all to stay. Only one man dropped 
out. The next card I got was a king. The 
dealer said, *Ace king is high.' I bet ten dollars. 
Three called, the next man called and raised the 
bet twenty dollars. I called the twenty, so did 
the other three. Apparently all had paired with 
their hole card. Just five of the 'best of us' left 
now. My next card was a nine. The man at the 
end paired his jack in sight. The dealer said, 
*Pair of jacks high.' 

"This man looked at my pile of money and 
threw in a twenty. I only had a pair of aces, and 
providing this man had a jack in the hole or two 
pairs, I was up against it. I could not lay down. 
In went the rest of my money. The others put 
in what they had. The dealer straightened up 
the pots to correspond with the money bet and 
dealt the last card to each. I got another ace, 
making a pair of aces in sight. The man with 
the jacks paired his ten in sight ; jacks up in sight. 
I felt sure that my three aces would win but the 
dealer pointed out the man who had * jacks up,' 
and said, 'You cannot play that hand.' This man 
came back angrily, 'Why not?' The dealer said, 
'We run an honest game here. You changed 
your hole card, that's all.' 

"They all threw up their hands as the two aces 
in sight was enough. The dealer pinched a five- 
dollar gold piece for his rake-off. I stayed in 
the game a few more deals, picked up my coin 
and beat it. I was over three hundred dollars to 
the good. 



206 CRATER OF GOLD 

"It's the rule that when one has gambled, he 
will gamble again. I am an exception to that 
rule. I never gambled again." 

Mesner: "Gee I Pickard, it makes such fel- 
lows as we are sick to think of the money that we 
have been worth and now look at us !" 

Pickard: "I never was worth much. About 
ten thousand was my high mark. You and Fred, 
there, have been up to the hundred thousand 
mark." 

Witte: "Py colly! I vood not dake dree 
hundred dousand for mine mine now. You see, 
id vill soon bay off dot voomans, and den I can 
draw mine own check ven I vants to." 

Bud Wise : "Mesner, did you ever hear of Bill 
Pease ? No ? Well, he was digging away in his 
tunnel but was all in for grub. He came to Raw- 
hide and asked Pickler, the grocer, for a sack of 
flour. He told the storekeeper that he was sure 
to strike it soon, but Pickler refused to credit 
Bill. 

"Bill wandered out down the street talking to 
himself. He was passing the livery stable. 
Sparks, the livery man, said, 'Hello, Bill! What's 
the matter?' Bill said, 'I am about to strike it. 
Just feel sure that in another week I'll have pay 
dirt, but I am out of flour, and as Pickler refused 
me a sack of flour, I'll have to find a job and 
work till I get a grub stake.' Sparks exclaimed, 
'Refused you a sack of flour ! Well, you go right 
back to your mine. I'll stake you.' Bill said, 
'Well, I must hurry.' Sparks said, 'You don't 



CRATER OF GOLD 207 

want to go today?' Bill said that he would like 
to go, and Sparks called his son Jack. They 
hitched up a team and took Bill Pease and a 
grub-stake out to the mine. Bill worked away 
a few days and struck it rich. He brought in 
samples so rich that he had no trouble to get all 
the money that he needed to push his work. 

"Later he sold out for over a million. He gave 
Sparks fifty thousand for having grub-staked 
him. Pickler had stocked up heavy, and owed 
over a hundred thousand. The panic of '93 came 
and Pickler could not dispose of his goods. He 
became a bankrupt when, had he trusted Bill 
Pease, he would have been tided over the panic. 
Bill could not forget the *sack of flour.' " 

Pickard: "That makes me think of Brown in 
the Morehave Desert. Philander Brown was an 
old school-teacher who came West for his health. 
He settled in the Morehave Desert. He had a 
few cows and by raising cattle and scratching 
around, he was just about able to live and that 
was all. 

"One day, while riding over a ridge that ex- 
tends from the mountains into the desert near his 
place, his horse's hoof struck a hard rock and 
knocked off a piece. It had a mineral appear- 
ance that caused Mr. Brown to have it assayed 
and what a surprise for him, it went two thousand 
free gold to the ton. It was only a small ledge 
and his claim took it all. He got a small stamp- 
mill and kept a few miners at work. This sup- 
plied him with plenty of money to build a health 



208 CRATER OF GOLD 

resort for poor consumptive school teachers, and 
he was very happy in the good work that he was 
doing. 

"One day he got a letter from Los Angeles re- 
questing him to come down on important busi- 
ness. 

"Mr. Brown went. He was ushered into a 
fine business ofRce. After some talk he was asked, 
*You have a gold mine in the Morehave Desert?' 

" 'Yes, sir.' 

" 'Do you want to sell it?' 

" 'No, sir.' 

" 'Would no offer tempt you to sell?' 

" 'No, sir.' 

" 'How would a million-dollar offer for your 
mine strike you?' 

"The old man straightened up and replied: 
'Gentlemen, you have not seen this mine and must 
be playing some game on me, for I know that 
you would not offer a million dollars for what 
you have not seen and know nothing about. As 
I do not care to sell I will be going.' 

" 'Yes, but we know your mine. Here is ore 
from it, here are pictures of all the surroundings 
and here is a complete plot of your mine, tunnels 
and apparatus.' 

" 'How did you get all of this?' 

" 'One of our experts worked in your mine for 
a month employed by you as a miner. He esti- 
mated the value of your mine. We will give you 
two million dollars for your mine and satisfy you 
that the deal is on the square.' 



CRATER OF GOLD 209 

"Mr. Brown refused two millions. He said 
that this money was safe where it was. He could 
get all he wanted any time, but if he had two mil- 
lion he would not know what to do with it. He 
thought that it might lead him into temptations 
to his ruin. He returned to his mine and so far 
as I know he is there now." 

At the close of Pickard's story, there came a 
rap at the door. 

Mr. Witte opened the door and said: "Hello, 
Hank I Come in." 

We all arose, the cabin dwellers shook hands 
with the newcomer and I was introduced to Mr. 
Harper. 

Witte: "Veil, Hank, how's everyting oudt 
yourvay?" 

Harper: "Good. I came in late and not see- 
ing you fellows at the saloon, I hunted you up. 
That was easy. I just came to the cabin that was 
all lit up. Have you heard the news of the gold 
strike?" 

All*: "ISTo! Where?" 

Harper: "Out on Eagle Peak." 

Mesner: "What did I tell you fellows? I 
know there is gold somewhere on Eagle Peak. 
Tell us all about it. Hank." 

Harper: "That old man Harmon who lost 
his money down in the valley in his deal with the 
Meddar Irrigation Company and was deserted by 
his wife and daughter and left alone last fall, took 
a homestead in a canyon close up to Eagle Peak. 
What stock he had left he moved out there. Jack 
Carver stays with him most of the time. 

14 



210 CRATER OF GOLD 

"Mr. Harmon found a rich ledge last fall and 
took Carver in as partner. They found so much 
high-grade ore and nuggets that they have made 
several thousand dollars, built a fine home and 
opened up a big stock ranch. 

"They kept this find a secret, but now they 
have taken in a small stamp-mill and the whole 
country is getting aroused. 

"Harmon and Carver have set up their monu- 
ments and filed on a lot of claims, but as no one 
knows how extensive this gold field is, there will 
be a rush. I set up monuments for all that I will 
be able to handle and hurried in to let you fellows 
know. I will file on mine tomorrow." 

This was great news for these cabin dwellers 
and they paid little attention to Harper's story 
in regard to the Harmons ; but Mr. Harper found 
in me a good listener and so here is his story that 
portrays vividly the high-handed robberies car- 
ried on by private irrigation companies and land 
sharks in the West. 

The Breakup of the Harmon Family by 
Hank Harper 

"I knew the Harmon family back in Iowa. 
They were well fixed with a good farm, a fine 
house and money in the bank. 

"A real estate man there whom the Harmons 
thought was a special friend of theirs, gave a 
glowing picture of the chance to make a fortune 
here in Meddar, the land of sunshine and flowers. 



CRATER OF GOLD 211 

He told these honest, confiding people that they 
could buy irrigated land here at fifty dollars per 
acre as good as the one thousand dollars per acre 
orchard land of Yakima. They were led to be- 
lieve that this land would produce fifty bushels 
of wheat, one hundred bushels of oats, three hun- 
dred sacks of potatoes and so on to the acre, and 
garden products and fruit beyond estimate. 

"Mr. Harmon was satisfied in Iowa, but Mrs. 
Harmon wanted to get rich and felt sure that 
their friend would not misrepresent this land to 
her. She is decisive and generally managed all 
deals. She insisted on coming out here to investi- 
gate. 

"She reached Meddar in October when all 
nature seems to work for agreeable sunshiny 
weather in this high altitude. I. M. McFox was 
the company's agent here then. He treated Mrs. 
Harmon with great condescension as they drove 
over the valley between these ridges of high 
mountains. To a casual glance this land appears 
level and very fertile. McF^ox pretended to be 
indifferent as to whether he made a sale or not. 
This had the desired effect on Mrs. Harmon. 
He said : 'We are making a mistake to sell this 
land now at fifty. The directors have raised the 
price to one hundred commencing January first. 
Those who buy now will make fifty dollars per 
acre within three months. Of course, the stock 
men are kicking and saying that this valley is no 
good, the water supply is short and doing all they 
can to keep settlers out. The United States 



212 CRATER OF GOLD 

vouches for enough of water in our reservoir and 
this land will soon be worth five hundred dollars 
per acre. The stock men always kick when range 
land is taken up and fenced, aha — ^he — he — ho.' 
(Staccato laugh.) 

"Mrs. Harmon was so impressed with the 
chance to make a fortune that she contracted for 
three hundred and twenty acres, land and water- 
right, at fifty dollars per acre. 

"After three years, she was to pay a yearly 
maintenance fee of one dollar per acre forever 
whether the water was used or not. She paid the 
first payment of five dollars per acre, or sixteen 
hundred dollars, and hastened back to Iowa brim- 
ming over with satisfaction, having no doubt but 
what they could sell any day at a big profit. 

"She had listened to all McFox had to say and 
did not suspect that this reservoir up here was 
only a skim of water over an old hay -marsh and 
not sufficient to redeem the valley. She never 
dreamed that this soil was black alkali adobe that 
is hard to cultivate. She never suspected that 
these land agents were unmitigated scoundrels 
who never intended to keep their promises. 

"The Harmons thought so much of this new 
land of sunshine and plenty that the desire to 
move here became too strong, and so they sold out 
their fine home in Iowa and the next spring found 
them here building a new home. 

"They found as they cleared their new farm 
that the land was uneven and covered with hog- 
wallows and that it would have to be made more 



CRATER OF GOLD 213 

level. Clearing, plowing, leveling and seeding 
the three hundred and twenty acres cost them 
about ten thousand dollars, which added to the 
cost of buildings, made about fifteen thousand 
dollars — an unexpected outlay, for Mr. McFox 
had promised Mrs. Harmon that the company 
would clear, plow and seed the land for five dol- 
lars per acre. 

"With big expectations the Harmons put into 
crop all of their land and figured that this crop 
would clear them at least ten thousand dollars. 

"The grain came up, but a few ranchers at this 
end of the valley took all the water that came 
down. During a dry spell in May the adobe 
dried up and cracked open. Their crop was lost. 

"They got water in time for their garden and 
it looked fine, and as the president of the land 
company assured them that all should have water 
the next year, the Harmons did not give up. 

"Mrs. Harmon was dissatisfied and blamed her 
husband for not fighting for his rights. The first 
note of discord was sounded. 

"Miss Meda Harmon, their only child, was a 
beautiful young lady of seventeen. She was a 
splendid equestrian and spent much of her time 
on horseback rambling over the mountains and 
valley looking after their stock. She would drive 
the cows home every evening. 

"One day she lost her way and rode for several 
miles on the wrong trail which led up to Eagle 
Peak. Dark came on, she got off of the trail 
and was lost among the wilds of the mountain 



214 CRATER OF GOLD 

which is infested with mountain-lions, bears, coy- 
otes and rattlesnakes. She was in a predicament 
that would try the courage of the bravest. She 
screamed for help many times with no answer 
except the echo of her own voice resounding from 
crag to crag. 

"That buckaroo, Jack Carver, was out on the 
round-up riding over the Eagle Peak country. 
He heard Meda's scream and thought that a pan- 
ther was on his trail and that it had commenced 
to caterwaul. Again the same scream and Jack 
stopped and listened. Off in the mountain half a 
mile the noise continued. ( Sound travels far in 
this elevated country.) Jack became convinced 
that it must be a woman's voice — some one in 
distress. Though to leave the trail and ride over 
these rocks at night was very dangerous, Carver 
is no coward and never was known to shirk a 
duty, he spurred his horse in the direction from 
whence the scream came and soon cantered up to 
where Meda was. 

"Her horse had fallen over a cliff and was 
killed, but she had escaped with a few bruises. 
By the moonlight, Jack saw this pretty girl for 
the first time, her eyes sparkling with the joy 
that rescue from death brings. This rough cow- 
boy's heart left him. He stood in amazement. 
His nerves tingling and his mind filled with a 
new hope that he had met the one girl for him. 

"He tenderly carried Meda to his horse and 
placed her in the saddle. Jack insisted on walk- 
ing, but she with tact persuaded him to ride in 




He stood in amazement. 



He had met the one girl for him. — Page 214 



CRATER OF GOLD 215 

front, as he could better manage the broncho. 
Meda informed him where she lived away down 
in the Meddar valley — a long ride, after night, 
over a mountainous trail. They reached the 
Harmon home at daylight with Meda smiling 
and none the worse for her mishap. 

"The whole settlement was in an uproar. Sev- 
eral searching parties were out on the hills. It 
soon transpired what had happened and amid a 
general rejoicing Jack was toasted as a hero. 
He was a hero in the eyes of Meda, and as you 
all know. Jack was always very susceptible to the 
ladies' charms. They were soon fast lovers. 

"Jack regularly made his calls on Meda, and 
within a month they were engaged. Meda 
thought that Jack was a paragon of perfection. 

"Mr. Harmon for months had put Jack's horse 
in the stable when he called and treated him as 
one of the family; but one Sunday evening the 
old man paid no attention to the horse and hardly 
spoke to Jack, and Mrs. Harmon gave him a 
cold reception. Jack was puzzled, but he sur- 
mised that that jealous old batch Pat Regan had 
been villifying him. 

"Pat was in love with Meda. He is always 
in love with any girl who treats him well, or jokes 
with him. He takes all jokes in earnest and 
imagines that all the girls want him. He re- 
sented Jack's courtship and told the Harmons 
all about Jack's escapades to the disparagement 
of Jack. Jack is honorable in his dealings, but 
liberal to a fault with his money, which led him 



216 CRATER OF GOLD 

into the drinking and gambling so prevalent here. 
Jack had a big fight and was on a spree the week 
preceding the cold treatment. Mr. and Mrs. 
Harmon had determined to break off his engage- 
ment to Meda. 

"Meda received Jack kindly, but in great sad- 
ness she told him all and explained that, though 
it broke her heart, it would be necessary for him 
to cease his calls. She hoped that he would 
reform and all would end well. 

"Jack sorrowfulty said good-bye. He said, 'I 
know that I am not worthy to win such a refined, 
sweet woman like you, Meda, but the way I love 
you it breaks me all up to lose you. It is hard 
to reform from bad habits. I have tried it and 
have been getting along pretty well since I met 
you. I was imposed on the other night. I was 
not much intoxicated. I will try to make myself 
worthy of your love yet. Good-bye, sweetheart, 
good-bye.' 

"Jack strode his horse and rode direct to the 
cattle-camp up in the mountains and was not seen 
for several weeks. He lay around camp some- 
times in gloom, at other times vowing vengeance, 
but gradually coming to the conclusion that he 
would ignore the meddling bunch and refrain 
from beating up old Regan, then, when he met 
Meda, he could give a good account of himself. 
Such was the influence of the girl's love on Jack. 

"Meda continued to drive the cows home and 
assist her mother, ever dreaming of and mourn- 
ing for Jack. With all his faults she loved him 
still. He had saved her life ! 



CRATER OF GOLD 217 

"Along in July, that's over four years ago, 
Mr. Harmon arose at daylight as usual and 
found ice frozen an inch thick in the wash-basin. 
He called Mrs. Harmon and together they went 
to the garden to find it covered deep with hoar 
frost. Mr. Harmon said, 'Dearie' (he always 
called her dearie) , 'this is too bad. No doubt the 
garden is ruined. I never suspected that it would 
frost like that in July. We ought to have in- 
quired more before buying here. Why, Meddar 
is over a mile above the sea, and from what the 
old settlers tell me, this country is no good for 
anything except stock-raising.' 

"Mrs. Harmon replied, 'Well, don't blame me! 
Why did you not do a little more advising last 
October when that land agent was working for a 
big, fat commission? You left it all to me and 
I tried to do right. When I was here in October 
that old cattle man, Whizzleback, told me that 
everything here was sure to win. He said that 
the soil and water supply were unquestioned. I 
believe that old J. Noble Juggler, the president 
of the company, has him hired to do such dirty 
work.' 

"In this mild manner the row continued in the 
Harmon family for four years of struggle with 
the same old story year after year. Four years 
of failure and payments on the land had cleaned 
up their spare cash when a worse blow fell to 
their lot. The Meddar Irrigation Company had 
only an option on the land, for which the Har- 
mons were to get a deed when their contract was 



218 CRATER OF GOLD 

fully paid. The company failed to make any 
more payments on their option and the owner 
sued for possession. 

*'The officers of this company are a set of irre- 
sponsible gamblers. The whole water system is 
mortgaged. There are many losers here like the 
Harmons. 

"After this Mrs. Harmon became more peevish 
with her husband. She thought that he blamed 
her for their misfortunes. She had a little 
money of her own left, and with this to live on, 
she concluded to leave her husband, and he made 
no objection. Four years of hardships and bick- 
ering had estranged them. 

"Meda was helpless to prevent the separation. 
She considered that it was her duty to go with 
her mother, who was failing in health. 

"She and Jack were still friends through all 
these years. They met at parties and sometimes 
Jack visited at the Harmons. They both 
seemed to realize that some strange force bound 
them to feel that some time without doubt they 
would be ready to go down life's trip together. 

"Meda informed Jack that she would have to 
go with her mother, as she might not live long. 
She thought that if her mother recovered that her 
papa and mamma would be reconciled after the 
effects of the shock of their awful breakup had 
worn away. She said, *Jack, time will tell.' 

"Well, the day came for Mrs. Harmon and 
Meda to leave. Mr. Harmon said, 'Good-bye, 
dearie,' and she replied, 'Good-bye, don't work 



CRATER OF GOLD 219 

too hard, John.' Before the train pulled out 
Meda called her father to one side and said, 
'Father, don't think too hard of mother for this; 
she is failing and may not live long. I must 
take care of her. I'll be back to take care of you, 
father.' The old man broke down and wept so 
piteously that the eyes of the most hardened filled 
with tears. 

"Mr. Harmon went back home alone, but as 
the former owner had won his suit and must have 
possession, there was nothing to do but to vacate 
the premises. He filed on that homestead in an 
Eagle Peak canyon. Jack Carver came to his 
assistance in removing his stock and property and 
helped him to build the new home. Jack was 
always welcome and stayed with Mr. Harmon 
most of the time. Now they have struck it rich." 

I was called away from Meddar the next day, 
but later I read in the papers that the Harmon- 
Carver strike had proven to be a local affair, just 
a blowout of bull-quartz and that many pros- 
pectors and fortune hunters had been disap- 
pointed and a few stranded at Meddar, but Har- 
mon and Carver had struck it rich and liberally 
assisted those in need. 

One day I ran across Hank Harper in San 
Francisco. We had a long chat about how our 
friends, the cabin dwellers, were doomed to dis- 
appointment again, but that they were still living 
in hopes. 

Here is the closing of Harper's story of the 
Harmon family in Harper's vernacular : 



220 CRATER OF GOLD 

The Reunion of the Harmon Family 

"Mrs. Harmon and Meda went to a southern 
California health resort. Mrs. Harmon regained 
her health and soon began to worry about how 
her husband was in danger living out in a canyon 
alone. 

"Along in the next spring, having not heard 
of the gold strike, she told Meda that they must 
return and that she would just write and tell 
John that they were coming. She said, *I just 
know your papa will be glad to see us come home.' 
It was not a question of money now with Mrs. 
Harmon. Mrs. Harmon wanted to share with 
her husband the struggle in poverty. 

"When Mr. Harmon received the letter from 
Mrs. Harmon, I happened to be present. The 
old man, with tears streaming down his cheeks, 
went wild with joy. 'My wife and daughter are 
coming home! Hank, how I do want to see 
them. Dearie always was a good girl.* 

"The reunion was a memorable event at Med- 
dar. All were invited to a great feast and gala- 
day at the canyon home, given presents of gold 
nuggets and served with feasting for a week. 

"Mrs. Harmon said, *I expected to live with 
you in a cabin, John, and be happy ; but now that 
we are rich, I must get used to it.' 

"Meda flew to Jack's protecting arms, and 
Jack was not slow in claiming his prize. As all 
parental objections to Jack had passed away, 
there was no trouble in naming the day. Meda 
whispered : 

" 'Jack, time has told.' " 



CRATER OF GOLD 221 

FOUND THE WAY 

I 

I had wandered from the road, 

I was lost and it was dark; 
I was weak beneath my load. 

Drifting like a sailless barque; 
I was sinking in the mire, 

Falling over rocks and logs; 
I was dodging flames of fire. 

Tumbling into ruts and bogs; 
Then I heard some one near by, 

And I said in angry fear, 
"I will shoot if you come nigh, 

What's the use of nonsense here? 



99 



II 

An amazing light appeared. 

For the Lord was standing there, 
With a halo, and long beard, 

A bright light He held with care; 
And He looked so kind to me. 

As He said, "I am the way." 
I awoke, and now you see 

Twas a dream I had that day. 
Twas a dream I had that day. 

But the Lord had talked to me. 
And He said, "I am the way. 

Follow me, and you shall see." 

Chorus 

Twas a dream I had that day 
When the Lord to me did say: 
"Your reward is for good deeds; 
Help the poor in all their needs; 
Keep the law if you'd be saved; 
Then your road to Heav'n is paved." 



222 CRATER OF GOLD 

III 

Twas a dream, which I record, 

When the Lord did talk to me. 
"I am not against Thee, Lord, 

But I know not what I see." 
And the Lord made this repty, 

"If you're not against me, then, 
You are for me, and that's why 

You are called to say to men: 
'Your reward is for good deeds; 

Keep the law if you'd be saved; 
Help the poor in all their needs; 

Then your road to Heav'n is paved.' 



THE ABSOLUTE FAITH 

1913 
CHAPTER I 

My crops are stored away; I have plenty of 
supplies on hand, and must continue my writing. 

I write not to tear down, but to build, 
to remove false and decayed material from the 
foundation, to restore and fulfill or point the 
way. 

That dream last night makes me think, makes 
me write. I dreamt that I arose early, took the 
old rifle from the kitchen and stepped down to 
the gate. I then looked at my watch and found 
that I was up two hours earlier than usual. 

I looked up the inclined plane that lay before 
me. The great, red rising sun was just peeping 
over the hill. There appeared in sight what at 
first looked like hyenas, but changed to be two 
mammoth buffalo that walked deliberately and 
unconcernedly toward me until within a few 
rods. I tried to shoot them, but my shots had 
no effect. These buffalo just opened their large, 
stupid eyes and looked as if to say, "What is he 
trying to do?" 

223 



224 CRATER OF GOLD 

I thought that I must get them, and what a 
great catch I would make. I whirled and ran 
to the house, calling, "Father! father!" I thought 
that he could shoot better than I; but the hired 
girl said, "Keep still! Your father wants to 
sleep." 

I grabbed a large, new rifle, ran out and began 
to shoot at the beasts. They turned and slowly 
retreated in a different direction from whence 
they came. I filled the magazine and kept pump- 
ing away. I could see some hair fly, and noticed 
many old scars, welts and bruises, but the beasts 
looked back in amazement and a little apprehen- 
sion and seemed to wonder why I was bothering 
them. In my excitement, the rifle changed in my 
hands to an old fountain pen, and I awoke. I 
was safe in my retreat. 

The house and gate were from my childhood 
home. The landscape came from the broken 
and rolling plains near the Bad-lands in South 
Dakota. I have no idea where the buffalo came 
from, nor why a rifle should turn into a fountain 
pen. 

These impressions must have reached the mind 
some way and remained there dormant to appear 
again in a dream ; or may it be that the dream has 
a meaning? If dreams are given us for a pur- 
pose, their meaning should be plain, so that we 
would know just what to do. "O God, give me 
strength to comprehend my duty and I will do 
it," I prayed. The answer came to my con- 
science: that the two beasts are Superstition and 



CRATER OF GOLD 225 

Capitalistic Government; that they do not know 
that they are wrong, nor can they understand the 
warfare against them ; that armed force and bru- 
tal war are of no avail ; and that the new rifle, or 
weapon, is the pen ; but that it is a little early yet 
to see the effects, except that these beasts are on 
the retreat, slightly disfigured and apprehensive. 
They appeared to be two big mullet-heads devoid 
of reasoning faculties, and that their strength 
dulled their intelligence and gave them disdain 
and disregard for the weak. 



CHAPTER II 

If one, who reads, observes, experiments and 
ponders should try to express all the thoughts 
and speeches that pass through his mind, his ideas 
would be smothered by the profuseness of the 
volume; just the same as the growth to full size 
of all the embryo plants and animals would 
smother out all life in a few months. That should 
teach us to be concise, and shows us that death is 
a natural necessity. 

The teamster, when asked why his horses 
balked, said: "That is the way they do!" The 
boy, when asked why his kite arose, said: "That 
is the way it does." The scientist will talk scien- 
tifically about psychology and the laws of attrac- 
tion, but when asked why is mind, or attraction, 
has no better answer than the others. 

Still the more we learn about the way things 
do, and are sure, and have absolute faith in the 
dictum, "That what things do they do again 
under the same conditions, and that there never 
was and never will be anything to the contrary," 
the more we become possessed with certain knowl- 
edge that can be turned to our use without fearing 
the result. 

Then, do not fear to get Knowledge, for she 
will bring you to an understanding of the Light 
as far as is vouchsafed to man, and will make 
you strong in reasoning. 

226 



CRATER OF GOLD 227 

Polemics of the past have been unavoidable on 
account of the lack of knowledge, and this same 
failing is still a prolific breeder of discord. 

It is natural for man to form steadfast opin- 
ions, right or wrong. They are the deep marks 
upon his mind when it was receptive, and serve 
as his guide unto death. Thus the mind becomes 
the stable record of our important experiences 
and conclusions. We must be on our guard 
against false conclusions. 

Sometimes I am amazed as to what we are, or 
what we are doing. We do not know. The 
most learned cannot answer. Once I thought 
that one who could talk scientifically knew all 
about it, but my own investigations have shown 
me that man is a poor, helpless creature after all. 

Fall down and beg for mercy, pray for an 
understanding and faith, and it will be given to 
you as far as you are capable of receiving. This 
is the change of heart. This is being born again. 
God will not tell you his secrets. Take hold of 
what you can understand. Let your suffering 
teach you to cause no one pain of body or mind. 
If you are not too far gone in error and will turn 
and do right at all times, you may be restored; 
but if you do not quit wrongdoing in time, your 
wages is death, morally and physically. 

How foolish is man in his egotism! In our 
egotistic grouch we give the look of contempt 
instead of the sweet smile of innocence and purity 
of heart. Discontinue that hateful, exultant 
laugh of superiority and egotism over a brutal 



228 CRATER OF GOLD 

deed, or joke at another's discomfiture — showing 
the nature of that animal from whence you 
sprung which could not talk but chattered the 
ha ! ha ! of exultation over its fallen victim in the 
wilds of animal struggles. 

Proven laws call for absolute faith, but un- 
proven laws are issues of the day, subjects for 
further investigation. They must be judged in 
the light of reason and by their effects. 



CHAPTER III 

But one will ask: "How did primitive man 
get the idea of God, a spirit, or immortality?" 
This may be answered. Pristine man having no 
knowledge by which to account for the simplest 
phenomena of nature, he naturally conceived the 
idea of a Supreme Ruler who is all powerful and 
directs all things personally, instead of all things 
being under control of His unchangeable laws. 
They naturally thought that the bolt of lightning 
that killed a man was direct from the hand of a 
Living and Angry God just over their heads, 
sitting on a throne of glory, and so he was led to 
the sacrifice of much life to appease God's anger. 

Not knowing much about mind, he thought 
that his dreams showed that he had a second self, 
or spirit, that left his body and came back when 
he awoke. 

A desire to live forever makes all mankind 
hope for eternal life. 

Primitive man's abject fear of the terrible 
forces that he saw in everything, subjected him 
to the vagaries of assumed revelators, who were 
endeavoring to answer the unknown, making a 
business of it for a living, trying to lead man into 
a better understanding, or using such so as to 
better control the people and maintain despotic 
sway. 

229 



230 CRATER OF GOLD 

When a false sophistry has taken hold of the 
human mind, it takes a long and arduous struggle 
to displace it with the truth. Death and cruel 
separations make the mind an easy prey to false 
sophistry. 

The suffering of man through his mistakes, and 
violations of law in his ignorance or perversion 
has been, and is, the teacher of the law of duty 
and is raising man to higher conceptions. Suf- 
fering serves for a purpose. It is the great 
teacher of all and has produced all the great 
teachers. It teaches us to sympathize with others 
and should teach us to put ourselves in the other 
fellow's place at all times before rendering judg- 
ment. 

Primitive man could only account for suffering 
by creating a big Devil and a lot of little devils 
who raised "impious war in heaven," and were 
about to overthrow Omnipotence, but lost in the 
battle and were hurled down into a pit, there to 
continue scheming against God and at times 
marshalling their forces for another battle. 

We know better than that now, or think we do. 
We believe that God is Supreme, knows His 
business and is constant in all things. We be- 
lieve that what was typified as a devil and sin is 
the suffering natural to life, or the effects of the 
disobedience of law. 

Get this absolute faith, follow the moral pre- 
cepts of Jesus and Buddha and violate law no 
more and your reward is sure. 



CRATER OF GOLD 231 

My doctrine seeks not to destroy truth, but to 
establish truths that will unite all mankind in a 
common brotherhood. 

We can not add to, nor subtract from the 
truth. It is everlasting. We may err in our 
understanding of what the truth is and suffer for 
so doing. 

If the rule of ages is against our sense of the 
right and truth, it is our duty to try to change it. 
Though free moral agents, we are badly hindered 
by inherited conditions, traits of character and 
customs from the past. 

We can only change the customs and condi- 
tions as fast as we prepare ourselves for the 
change. We must solve the problems and pre- 
pare the way for a better day. 

Self-preservation is the motive of all human- 
made laws, and suffering brings them to pass. 
Our suffering teaches us to show mercy to others 
and demand laws for the relief of all. 



CHAPTER IV 

According to old legends and the history of 
many of the great ethical teachers, their lives 
and works are clouded in mysticism. No doubt, 
many of them pretended to have occult powers 
in order to gain an audience to their teaching 
and thereby establish their ethics. 

Many taught before writing was invented, or 
taught verbally, and their teaching went to the 
world by hearsay, from one to another, from 
parents to their children for generations before 
any attempt was made to put them in writing. 
The writers of these reports and rumors were 
prone to exaggeration and coloring to suit their 
individual opinions. They often gave a meaning 
to some circumstance, or report that was never 
intended by the teacher. So all of these accounts 
only serve as poor indexes to what might have 
been the real teaching. These are facts — and 
such facts as to clear the way for a liberal inter- 
pretation of all accounts. 

About all of these many, great teachers have 
been deified by their followers and therefore 
man has been taught that they were infallible. 
If any were infallible, these accounts, written 
by man, kept and translated by man, would be 
fallible — for what man has written or translated 
can not be accepted as infallible. 

232 



CRATER OF GOLD 233 

The indexes to the teaching of Jesus and 
Guatama (Buddha) shorn of all mysticism, indi- 
cate that they were the two greatest reasoners 
and teachers of pure ethics that ever tried to lead 
mankind into the light and beauty of purity of 
life and duty of one to another. 

They taught love, faith, hope, charity, mercy, 
pity, generosity, forgiveness, resignation, duty 
and the obedience to law. 

One is reported to have taught eternal life — 
a transfiguration to a spiritual heaven ; the other, 
eternal life by living a perfect life and becoming 
a part of the All Good as a drop of water becomes 
a part of the ocean. 

One taught a place of punishment or total 
destruction; the other, suffering for sin and pos- 
sibly transmigration. 

They both opposed old forms and all sacrifices 
to appease an angry God or any other angry 
thing. They both taught that we should serve 
to relieve the suflPering of the living, and not to 
worry about the dead. 

They both taught a new doctrine and forbade 
and condemned the forms and cruelties of the 
Old Orthodoxies. They both took their illustra- 
tions from nature and one should suppose that 
they intended rational interpretation. 

They both sacrificed their lives for the good of 
man. 

Buddha, according to the accounts, did not 
claim infallibility, nor was he sure that trans- 
migration is true, neither did he claim that all 



234 CRATER OF GOLD 

others are liars. This answers why his followers 
will listen to others without protest. 

Jesus, according to the accounts, claimed in- 
fallibility and is made to say that all who believe 
in him will be saved, and all who do not will be 
damned. Here is where the report got twisted. 
I believe that he said: "All who do not believe 
in and obey the law of God will be damned." 
That is the truth. They damn themselves by 
their disobedience of the laws of their existence. 

This one mistake in the record of the teaching 
of this just and holy man has caused untold 
misery and the cruel tortures and deaths of mil- 
lions of people and prevented the advance of the 
very truths that Jesus taught. 

The spirit of the One who said, "I did not come 
to destroy lives, but to save them," had nothing 
to do with these cruel deeds in His name during 
the long, dark night. Those who built His 
Church made the same mistakes of dead forms 
and phylactery to escape an angry God as did 
those of the old orthodoxy which Jesus con- 
demned. 

"If ye love me, keep my commandments." Did 
he say to kill any one? Here are a few of his 
commandments and teachings. 

Every one shall be rewarded according to his 
deeds. If Jesus taught, "Every one shall be 
rewarded according to his deeds," he could not 
have taught that one who did not believe in him 
was sure of damnation. 



CRATER OF GOLD 235 

You have answered right, obey the law and you 
shall live. 

If a man hear my words and believe not, I 
judge him not — for I came not to judge the 
world, but to save it. 

The truth shall make you free (from tradi- 
tion). 

Do not pray to be seen of the public. Go to 
thy room and pray in secret. 

He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, 
but on Him who sent me. 

I did not come to destroy lives but to save 
them. 

If a man speak a word against me, it shall be 
forgiven ; but he who refuses the spirit of the law, 
shall not be forgiven. 

The kingdom of God is within you. 

The kingdom of heaven is in the heart. 

You shall not tempt God (by violating law) . 

Blessed are the pure in heart. 

Love your enemies and those who despitefuUy 
use you. 

You can not serve God and mammon. 

Judge not that you be not judged. 

Not every one that saith Lord ! Lord ! showeth 
the good spirit. 

There shall no sign be given. 

Why do you transgress the law of God by your 
Tradition? 

He found them fast asleep. 

God is a good spirit. 



236 CRATER OF GOLD 

You can not change yourself. You must be 
changed. 

Let him that is without sin cast the first stone. 

Go thy way and sin no more. 

God is supreme; God is just. God is love. 

As you would that men should do to you, do 
you also to them likewise. 

Condemn not and you shall not be condemned. 

Forgive and you shall be forgiven. 

Serve the law only, not riches. 

Repent and quit your evil ways. 

Blessed are they who thirst to do right. 

Ye blind guides that strain at a gnat and swal- 
low a camel. 

Let your works shine before the world. 

You must not even think of doing wrong. 

Do not swear by anything but use pure lan- 
guage. 

Resist not any one. If one takes your coat, 
give him your cloak also. 

Give to him that begs, and lend to him who 
would borrow. 

You should not find fault with your brothers, 
for perchance you have a much more grievous 
fault. 

Do not cast gems of thought to those who 
refuse to hear. 

Give alms secretly. 

This world is greater than any temple of wor- 
ship. 

The good and the bad are allowed to live. 



CRATER OF GOLD 237 

Everything that is not truth shall be rooted 
out in time. 

He that is not against us is for us. 

He that is not with us is against us. 

The laborer is worthy his hire. 

He who shows you mercy is your neighbor. 

Why, even of yourselves, judge you not what 
is right. 

Go only where you are invited. 

It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, 
than for any part of the law to fail. 

A good prayer: "God be merciful to me, a 
poor sinner." 

The spirit of truth is a holy spirit. (Holy 
ghost. ) 

To the question: "What shall I do to be 
saved?" Aiiswer: "Keep the Law." Jesus 
did not say to go through any ceremonies. "Keep 
the law." 

Chapter 23, St. Matthew, is as applicable to 
the churches to-day as it was to the old Jewish 
churches. Read it. 

The parable of the Judgment teaches that 
those who take care of the afflicted and serve all 
mankind, though not aware of their good deeds, 
gain salvation ; and those who work for self only 
are condemned, though they think that they are 
good and cry, "Lord! Lord!" 

The first statement of St. Luke shows that 
many were trying to write an account of the 
rumors, reports and legends in regard to the 
life of Jesus, The third chapter of St. Luke 



238 CRATER OF GOLD 

shows that he was speculating some; but all 
accounts establish the fact that this suffering, 
merciful, lowly Nazarene taught the purest and 
most just system of ethics that was ever given 
to man. 

He forfeited his life for all. Where man has 
died for man is holy ground. I bow in reverence 
to the name of Jesus. 



CHAPTER V 

"O God, must I go on with this writing?" I 
prayed, and the answer to my conscience came, 
"Go ahead. What man has undertaken con- 
scientiously, let him finish it." So I must finish 
my work. 

The poor, superstitious church people who are 
lulled to security by formal obedience to rites, 
Sabbath holiness, loud prayers in public and sac- 
rifice of money to carry them to heaven, after 
death, without strict obedience in truth and in the 
spirit of the law, are found fast asleep. Their 
performance is worse than nothing; for they are 
stumbling blocks in the way. 

The sincere and faithful church people, who 
know that they are right and that all who dis- 
agree with them are lost, are too narrow. The 
law is broad enough to reward all who do good. 
The law is based on deeds worthy of bringing 
results. Do the good deeds and the effects must 
follow. 

I write not to drive the spirit of Jesus from 
the world; but to restore it in its simplicity and 
truth — so plain that none may err therein. 

Superstitious, idolatrous ceremonies and mam- 
mon have buffaloed the church and the teaching 
of Jesus and are fast driving man to his ruin. 

239 



240 CRATER OF GOLD 

Only absolute faith in all laws of nature and 
nature's God and a just judgment of all man- 
made laws in the light of reason and by their 
effects can unite all mankind in one brotherhood 
and accomplish his destiny. 

Man has now reached that point in his develop- 
ment when it becomes necessary to submit to 
man all man-made laws for his approval, know- 
ing that the effect of unjust laws will soon bring 
their repeal. 

Let us declare an amnesty to all of those who 
disagree with us, and form ties of friendship in 
the name of suffering humanity and a common 
brotherhood. 

If the love, charity and non-resistance of Jesus 
has sway in the human heart, or as long as we 
have logic and justice, instead of selfishness and 
proud superstitious orthodoxy, majority consent 
to all laws is safe. 

This is not written for the sincere believer in 
the precepts of Jesus and the sisters of charity 
who belong to the church to do good. It is writ- 
ten for the pompous hypocrites who buffalo the 
church and the people for their own aggrandize- 
ment. They have prostituted the church to the 
service of mammon and idolatrous ceremonies. 
"They honor God with their lips but their hearts 
are far from him — for they bind heavy burdens 
and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's 
shoulders." 

"O God, give us strength to quit our evil ways. 
Thy law is supreme and must be obeyed. May 



I 



CRATER OF GOLD 241 

we ever be on our guard to do what is right and 
emulate the spirit of truth as taught by Jesus, 
and be ever ready to amend what is wrong, and 
submit to thy law with absolute faith that our 
reward is sure for well doing. We forgive evil 
doers, for they know not what they do." 



16 



CHAPTER VI 

People are generally better at heart than they 
appear outwardly. They often show to their 
worst advantage and hide their real, kindly na- 
ture. A desire to escape ridicule, maintain an 
appearance, or protect themselves from want or 
imposture, often causes them to appear or act 
hard-hearted and covetous; however, when those 
who have become the most brutal in the present 
system of animal struggle for the mastery in all 
lines are shown kindness in their hour of trouble, 
they become gentle and show their real nature. 
They then show what they might have been under 
just rule. 

Life is now a battle in which few win wealth 
and power. Many greater than these and the 
masses are hidden and crushed by chill penury, 
or are debauched by evil influences. 

The spirit of Jesus comes to one who honestly 
serves mankind by doing the deeds commanded 
by his precepts — not by faith in useless and idol- 
atrous forms, baptism, sacrament. Sabbath holi- 
ness and man-made creeds; but still killing and 
robbing the poor laborer, taking his money and 
eating his dinner, but throwing away the "meat" 
because it is Friday or a fast day; or depending 
on charms, hoodoos and rabbits' feet. 

242 



CRATER OF GOLD 243 

It matters not who Jesus was or is, or whether 
he is God or not; he forfeited his life to Old 
Superstitution and Mammon to teach a God of 
Love. His precepts are perfect. His faith was 
absolute. 

"O God," I prayed fervently, "must I tell 
man the truth in plain language?" and the answer 
came to me, the still voice of God talking to me 
in my conscience. These are the exact words: 
"Man has had buffalopathy and the truth in 
homeopathic doses and hidden language long 
enough. Give it to him in allopathic doses and 
plain language." 

You do not know that you are right without 
indisputable proofs. 

The truth will make you free from superstition 
and old nonsense. 

Evil shall be rooted out in time and nothing 
but the truth established. 

Let your hypotheses be stated as such and lead 
no man falsely. 

You may hope for eternal life, but no sign shall 
be given. 

Man has not heard the vocal utterance of God 
at any time. 

Your own relatives may not believe the truths 
that you teach. 

People should be known by their character and 
deeds. 

Creeds, rites and Sabbath holiness are non- 
essentials and may do injury. 

Teach the essentials, duty and the obedience 



244 CRATER OF GOLD 

to law first, and let the others come as they may 
as results. 

It is easier for the earth to pass away than for 
the law to fail. 

All old things shall pass away and everything 
become new, but law never changes. 

Man was not made for the Sabbath. The 
Sabbath is provided for a day of rest, recreation, 
or worship. Let every one enjoy this day for his 
special benefit — free from the cares of toil. 

The efficacy of prayer consists in putting the 
mind into a receptive mood by which one receives 
the truth in his conscience of what is his duty, 
and gives one strength to decide to do right and 
eschew wrong. 

Long and loud prayers for wealth, advantages, 
or dominion are an abomination. 

Self-righteous prayers are injurious. Always 
pray in humble submission. 

Go to your room and pray in secret. 

Pray for strength to do right, and it will be 
given to you. 

A prayer for anything that violates law is an 
abomination. 

Obey the voice of good in your conscience and 
your reward is sure. 

The spirit of God exists in everything. Every- 
thing existing is a part of God. 

The kingdom of heaven is in the heart. Heaven 
is a condition, not a place. 

Man only receives according to the develop- 
ment of his mind. 



CRATER OF GOLD 245 

Evil is he who thinks evil. He who does evil 
is still worse. 

Evil conditions are the effects of wrong doing. 

Every good deed has its reward. A good deed 
gives power to do more and may lead to a refor- 
mation — a change of heart. 

There is no resurrection of the body except in 
the laboratory of nature. 

Flesh and blood can not enter the kingdom of 
heaven. 

He who says, "I will not obey the law," but 
does, has his reward. 

He who says, "I will obey the law," and cries, 
"Lord, Lord," and does not, is a hypocrite, gets 
no reward and injures himself. 

There is no intention to lead any one from the 
truth. I talk from the battlefield of life. 



246 CRATER OF GOLD 

KEEP THE LAW 

What must you do if you'd be saved? 

Keep the law. 
The road to heav'n will then be paved, 

Keep the law. 
Reward is sure for each good deed: 

Keep the law, keep the law, keep the law; 
Do only good is all you need — 

Keep the law. 

Good deeds give power to do more. 

Keep the law. 
Your sins just sink you low'r and low'r, 

Keep the law. 
Obey the law, it's easily done. 

Keep the law, keep the law, keep the law; 
Treat others right, then you have won. 

Keep the law. 

The law of nature's law for man. 

Keep the law. 
It'll never change and never can. 

Keep the law. 
To save your soul and have good health. 

Keep the law, keep the law, keep the law; 
Your strength will then add to your wealth. 

Keep the law. 

And Jesus taught us what is right — 

Keep the law. 
In fear and trembling day and night, 

Keep the law. 
Reward according to your deeds, 

Keep the law, keep the law, keep the law; 
Go help the poor in all their needs, 

Keep the law. 

End — Part I 



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